Cyanidin-3-glucoside is an anthocyanin (a type of pigment) that imparts a red to red-blue color to a number of red, blue, purple, and black fruits, vegetables and grains. Cyanidin-3-glucoside has been found to interfere with the viability and metastatic potential of a variety of breast cancer cells. Now a new study has reported that cyanidin-3-glucoside inhibits mammary tumors in a mouse model of breast cancer.

Food sources of cyanidin-3-glucoside

The fruits below are very good to excellent sources of cyanidin-3-glucoside (also known as cyanidin-3-O-glucoside):
The following vegetables, beans and grains are also good sources of cyanidin-3-glucoside, although the concentrations normally are lower than those of fruits:

Latest research finds cyanidin-3-glucoside inhibits breast cancer

The study referenced above was designed to investigate the effects of cyanidin-3-glucoside in a mouse model of breast cancer. To conduct the study, the authors used MMTV-PyVT transgenic mice, which are specially bred to develop mammary tumors spontaneously and predictably. The mice were randomly divided into two groups that were assigned either to receive cyanidin-3-glucoside or to act as treatment-free controls. Cyanidin-3-glucoside was administered before the onset of any mammary tumors. Mammary tumors that developed during the study period underwent RNA sequencing after the mice were sacrificed.
Mice in the cyanidin-3-glucoside treatment group had a longer tumor-free interval and a significantly smaller tumor burden compared to the control group. They also experienced a delay in transformation from hyperplasia (the overgrowth of abnormal mammary cells) to invasive carcinoma. Further analysis demonstrated negative enrichment of the Akt pathway in the cyanidin-3-glucoside group. The Akt/mTOR signaling pathway has been shown to play a critical role for the survival and proliferation of cancer cells.
The authors conclude that administering cyanidin-3-glucoside in MMTV-PyVT mice before the onset of mammary tumors delays and hampers, but does not wholly prevent, the development of hyperplasia and its progression to invasive carcinoma.
Please see the cyanidin-3-glucoside tag for more information.