Metabolomic Profiling of Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton

The cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton), native only to USA and Canada, is commonly consumed as juice and other product forms (capsules, tablets, etc.) to treat and prevent urinary tract infection (UTI) [1-5]. Research suggests phytochemical constituents of cranberry, referred to as proanthocyanidins (PAC), act to inhibit Escherichia coli strains from adhering to uroepithelial cells in the urinary tract [5-8]. In addition, it is likely that other phenolic phytochemicals along with PACs contribute to the overall biological activity of cranberry [9-13]. Complicating the picture for cranberry is the broad spectrum of methods used for the assay of cranberry phenolic constituents, each one leading to differing, incomparable results [14]. The lack of validated and specific analytical methodology has lead to an inability to understand or determine the conditions by which cranberry phytochemistry may be varied and optimized. As attempts are being made to understand the relationship between supplementing the diet with cranberry and the prevention and/or treatment of conditions, such as UTI and neurodegenerative disease, it is essential to develop a better understanding of the phytochemical determinants of quality. The use of metabolomic profiling combined with multivariate data analysis offers an innovative way to assess cranberry and products derived from cranberry that reflect of the whole biochemical composition. In this study we describe metabolomes of aqueous extracted whole cranberries with commercial cranberry preparations using one dimensional proton NMR spectrometry and ultra high performance liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Acknowledgements: Partial support for this research from the Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health and Chromadex Inc., for provision of reference materials, is gratefully acknowledged. References: [1] Avorn J, Monane M, et al. (1994) J Amer Med Assoc 271: 751-754. [2] Walker EB, Barney DP, et al. (1997) J of Family Prac 45: 167-168. [3] Kontiokari T, Sundqvist K, et al. (2001) British Med Journal 322: 1571-1575. [4] Stothers L. (2002) Can J of Urol 9: 1558-1562. [5] Howell AB (2007) Mol Nutr Food Res 51: 732-737. [6] Upton R. (ed) (2002) American Herbal Pharmacopoeia and Therapeutic Compendium. Cranberry Fruit, Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton. Standards of Analysis, Quality Control, and Therapeutics, AHP, Scotts Valley California. [7] Schmidt DR, Sobota AE (1988) Microbios 55(224-225): 173-181. [8] Ofek I, Goldhar J, et al. (1991) New Engl J Med 324: 1599. [9] He X, Liu RH (2006) J Agric Food Chem 54: 7069-7074. [10] Nowack R (2007) Wien Med Wochenschr 157(13-14): 325-330. [11] Pappas E, Schaich KM (2009) Critical Rev in Food Sci and Nutr 49: 741–781. [12] Neto CC (2007) J Nutr 137(S1): 168S-193S. [13] Neto CC, Amoroso JW, et al. (2008) Mol Nutr Food Res 52: S18–S27. [14] Krenn L, Steitz M, et al. (2007) Pharmazie 62(11): 803-812.