Abstract:

Anthocyanins are a group of naturally occurring flavonoid compounds, which is widely available in fruits
and vegetables in human diets. A lot of epidemiological and animal experiments have demonstrated that anthocyanins
may contribute to cancer chemoprevention. In this article, we summarize the anti-cancer effects and the mechanisms of
anthocyanins and cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) in berries and related food products on several key steps: antioxidant effects,
enzyme activation, anti-cell proliferation, apoptosis induction, anti-inflammation, anti-angiogenesis, anti-invasiveness,
and differentiation induction. This review provides a molecular view of cyanidin-3-glucoside contributing to cancer
chemoprevention.

Key words: anthocyanins, cyanidin-3-glucoside, anti-cancer effect