Hematological and biochemical profile of FVB/n mice supplemented with an anthocyanin-rich elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) extract

Black elder (Sambucus nigra L.) is a common plant native from the northern hemisphere that spread all over the world. It is rich in many phenolic metabolites, especially anthocyanins, which are known for their high colorant capacity and health benefits. This study aimed to analyse the effects of elderberry extract (EE) supplementation in mice’s hematological and biochemical profiles.

The HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS was used to determine the anthocyanin profile. Twenty-four eight-week-old female FVB/n mice were divided into four experimental groups: G-I (control), G-II (12mg/mL), G-III (24mg/mL), and G-IV (48mg/mL), with EE dissolved in drinking water for 28 days, and G-I received tap water. At the end of the experimental protocol, an overdose of ketamine/xylazine was administrated to sacrifice all animals, and the blood samples were collected directly from the heart.

Microhematocrit values were obtained after blood centrifugation (4500xg for 5 min) in capillary tubes. Spectrophotometric methods were used to determine the concentrations of creatinine, urea, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase on plasma.

The primary anthocyanin components found in the extracted juice were cyanidin-3-O-sambubioside-5-O-glucoside, cyanidin-3-O-sambubioside and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside. The microhematocrit values showed no statistically significant differences between groups. Only the urea values between G-I and G-II were significantly different (p<0.05).

In conclusion, our findings indicate that an anthocyanin-rich EE does not appear to impair liver or renal function, making it an appealing alternative to synthetic colorants. Future studies, such as histological analysis, will be performed to confirm the favourable toxicological profile of EE.