Bioavailability and tissues distribution of cranberry flavonol glycosides in mice

• Published in: The FASEB journal Vol. 21; no. 6; p. LB62
• Main Authors: Vorsa, Nicholi, Singh, Ajay, Shabrova, Elena, Schaich, Karen, Jin, Hong, Quadro, Loredana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology 2007
• ISSN: 0892-6638; 1530-6860
• DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.21.6.LB62-a

Glucosylated flavonols are considered to be more bioavailable than the aglycone. The objective of this study was to determine bioavailability, metabolism and distribution of cranberry flavonol glycosides in mice. The main cranberry flavonol glycosides, e.g., quercetin‐3‐galactoside (Q‐3‐gal), myricetin‐3‐galactoside (M‐3‐gal) and other flavonols, were orally administered by gavage to mice. Specifically, we compared Q‐3‐gal versus quercetin‐3‐glucoside (Q‐3‐glc) metabolism. A mixture of cranberry flavonols was also administered by intraperitoneal injection (IPI). Plasma, urine and tissues were collected at different times post‐administration and analyzed for both parent compounds and putative metabolites. Upon gavage, plasma levels of Q‐3‐gal reached a Cpmax at 7.5 min. while the concentration of Q‐3‐glc peaked at 15 min. In contrast to Q‐3‐glc, unmetabolized Q‐3‐gal was present in significantly higher levels in both liver and kidney. Similar to Q‐3‐gal, other cranberry quercetin sugar conjugates, e.g. Q‐3‐arabinopyranoside (Q‐3‐ara), Q‐3‐rhamnoside (Q‐3‐rha), appeared to be minimally metabolized. IPI of cranberry flavonols also exhibited a fast clearance from the serum and high uptake by liver and kidney. Rapid excretion of flavonols in bile was also observed. Tissues accumulation of these flavonols compounds appeared quite limited and their elimination from the body through both liver‐bile‐intestine and kidney‐urine systems was rapid. The elevated concentration of flavonols and their metabolites in bladder and urine, suggests a potential mechanism for the beneficial effects of cranberry to urinary tract health.