Blue honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea L.)-anthocyanins and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside protect dopaminergic neurons against ferroptosis by activating the Nrf2-GPX7 axis.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurological disease currently with no effective therapy. Blue honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea L.) berries are rich in anthocyanins, primarily cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G), known for their potent antioxidant properties. However, the therapeutic potential and neuroprotective mechanisms of blue honeysuckle-anthocyanins (BH-an), especially C3G, in mitigating PD are yet to be fully elucidated. BH-an and C3G not only reduced 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+)-induced neurotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells, but also prevented the ferroptotic stimuli erastin-induced cytoxicity and ferroptosis. Importantly, C3G, the predominant component of BH-an (80.1 %-91.3 % of total anthocyanins), significantly ameliorated MPP+-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and exhibited comparable effects to the ferroptosis inhibitor Fer-1 against erastin-induced oxidative stress. In addition, C3G mitigated the loss of dopaminergic cells and motor dysfunction in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced mouse model of PD. This neuroprotective effect was mediated through the restoration of the MPTP/erastin-induced downregulation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and glutathione peroxidase 7 (GPX7), and inhibition of Nrf2 and GPX7 abolished the protective effect of C3G against erastin-induced ferroptosis. In conclusion, we demonstrate that BH-an, especially C3G, exerted significant neuroprotection against dopaminergic neuron ferroptosis through stimulating Nrf2-GPX7 axis. This study highlights the potential of blue honeysuckle anthocyanins, especially C3G, as preventive agents for PD.