{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,29]],"date-time":"2026-06-29T04:44:06Z","timestamp":1782708246770,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":98,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"13","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]],"date-time":"2026-06-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782259200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Foods"],"abstract":"<jats:p>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\u2013eye axis. In this context, dietary anthocyanins\u2014with blueberry anthocyanins serving as a primary representative model\u2014have 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\u2013eye 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.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/foods15132270","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,25]],"date-time":"2026-06-25T03:20:21Z","timestamp":1782357621000},"page":"2270","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Anthocyanins as Adjunctive Dietary Modulators of the Gut\u2013Eye Axis: Bioavailability, Biotransformation, and Implications for Ocular Health"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7269-8052","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nicoleta Corina","family":"Predescu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 105 Splaiul Independentei, District 5, 050097 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3700-5054","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Camelia","family":"Papuc","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Academy of Romanian Scientists (AOSR), 54 Splaiul Independentei, District 5, 050094 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7234-1865","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Georgeta","family":"Stefan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 105 Splaiul Independentei, District 5, 050097 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Petronela Mihaela","family":"Rosu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 105 Splaiul Independentei, District 5, 050097 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mihail","family":"Chervenkov","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Forestry, 10 Kliment Ohridski Blvd., 1700 Sofia, Bulgaria"},{"name":"Department of Plant and Fungal Diversity and Resources, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3878-8433","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mihaela","family":"Saracila","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Research and Development Institute for Biology and Animal Nutrition, 077015 Balotesti, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4967-6602","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tatiana Dumitra","family":"Panaite","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Research and Development Institute for Biology and Animal Nutrition, 077015 Balotesti, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9930-4893","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Iuliana","family":"Ionascu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, 105 Splaiul Independentei, District 5, 050097 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Que, L., Zhu, Q., Jiang, C., and Lu, Q. 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