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Volume 15
Issue 13
10.3390/foods15132270
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Review

Anthocyanins as Adjunctive Dietary Modulators of the Gut–Eye Axis: Bioavailability, Biotransformation, and Implications for Ocular Health

by
Nicoleta Corina Predescu
1,*,
Camelia Papuc
2,
Georgeta Stefan
1,
Petronela Mihaela Rosu
1,
Mihail Chervenkov
3,4,
Mihaela Saracila
5,
Tatiana Dumitra Panaite
5 and
Iuliana Ionascu
1
1
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 105 Splaiul Independentei, District 5, 050097 Bucharest, Romania
2
Academy of Romanian Scientists (AOSR), 54 Splaiul Independentei, District 5, 050094 Bucharest, Romania
3
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Forestry, 10 Kliment Ohridski Blvd, 1700 Sofia, Bulgaria
4
Department of Plant and Fungal Diversity and Resources, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
5
National Research and Development Institute for Biology and Animal Nutrition, Ilfov, 077015 Balotesti, Romania
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Foods 2026, 15(13), 2270; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15132270 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 19 May 2026 / Revised: 17 June 2026 / Accepted: 22 June 2026 / Published: 24 June 2026
(This article belongs to the Section Food Nutrition)
Review Reports Versions Notes

Abstract

Retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) are major causes of visual impairment and are closely associated with oxidative stress, inflammation, vascular dysfunction, and metabolic imbalance. Increasing evidence suggests that gut microbiota also contributes to retinal homeostasis, supporting the emerging concept of the gut–eye axis. In this context, dietary anthocyanins—with blueberry anthocyanins serving as a primary representative model—have attracted attention as potential adjunctive nutritional modulators of ocular health. However, their biological effects are strongly influenced by their limited bioavailability and extensive gastrointestinal metabolism. The objective of this review is to analyze the gastrointestinal fate of dietary anthocyanins and to discuss how their absorption, enzymatic transformation, and microbial biotransformation may influence ocular protection through the gut–eye axis. The review summarizes current knowledge regarding anthocyanin stability in the oral cavity, stomach, small intestine, and colon, as well as the formation of circulating phenolic metabolites generated by the host and through microbial metabolism. In addition, the molecular mechanisms through which anthocyanins and their metabolites may support retinal health are examined, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, vasoprotective, and neuroprotective actions. Overall, dietary anthocyanins, illustrated through the rich profile of blueberries, represent promising adjunctive compounds for supporting ocular health, although further clinical and mechanistic studies are still required.
Keywords: anthocyanin metabolites; bioavailability; biotransformation; gut microbiota; functional berry; retinal pigment epithelium; gut–eye axis anthocyanin metabolites; bioavailability; biotransformation; gut microbiota; functional berry; retinal pigment epithelium; gut–eye axis

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MDPI and ACS Style

Predescu, N.C.; Papuc, C.; Stefan, G.; Rosu, P.M.; Chervenkov, M.; Saracila, M.; Panaite, T.D.; Ionascu, I. Anthocyanins as Adjunctive Dietary Modulators of the Gut–Eye Axis: Bioavailability, Biotransformation, and Implications for Ocular Health. Foods 2026, 15, 2270. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15132270

AMA Style

Predescu NC, Papuc C, Stefan G, Rosu PM, Chervenkov M, Saracila M, Panaite TD, Ionascu I. Anthocyanins as Adjunctive Dietary Modulators of the Gut–Eye Axis: Bioavailability, Biotransformation, and Implications for Ocular Health. Foods. 2026; 15(13):2270. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15132270

Chicago/Turabian Style

Predescu, Nicoleta Corina, Camelia Papuc, Georgeta Stefan, Petronela Mihaela Rosu, Mihail Chervenkov, Mihaela Saracila, Tatiana Dumitra Panaite, and Iuliana Ionascu. 2026. "Anthocyanins as Adjunctive Dietary Modulators of the Gut–Eye Axis: Bioavailability, Biotransformation, and Implications for Ocular Health" Foods 15, no. 13: 2270. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15132270

APA Style

Predescu, N. C., Papuc, C., Stefan, G., Rosu, P. M., Chervenkov, M., Saracila, M., Panaite, T. D., & Ionascu, I. (2026). Anthocyanins as Adjunctive Dietary Modulators of the Gut–Eye Axis: Bioavailability, Biotransformation, and Implications for Ocular Health. Foods, 15(13), 2270. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15132270

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