Wine pigments: from your cup to your cells

Anthocyanins are among the various bioactive components of wines to which healthpromoting effects are ascribed. Their bioavailability is however very limited, as shown by postabsorption plasma concentration values of 10-9–10-8 M. The cardiovascular system is one of the main targets of anthocyanin bioactivity. The presence of the membrane transporter bilitranslocase (T.C. 2.A.65.1.1) in the vascular endothelium allows the transport of wine anthocyanins from the blood into the cells. Here anthocyanins can trigger further biological responses, ending with the release of nitric oxide, a powerful factor of cardiovascular protection.