Protective Effects of Berry Extracts on Hydrogen Peroxide-induced Rat Brain Neuronal Cell Damage In Vitro

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antioxidative activities and protective effects of boysenberry, black currant, and blueberry extracts on neuronal cells. We found that berry extracts had different levels of antioxidant efficacy in various assays, including cell viability assays using 3-(4,5-dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazoliumbromide (MTT). In addition, reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured using 2',7'–dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCF-DA) and flow cytometry analysis. Fruit extracts possessed strong antioxidant activities as measured using the malondialdehyde (MDA) assays. These extracts effectively inhibited lipid peroxidation. Black currant fruit extract significantly reduced intracellular ROS accumulation resulting from hydrogen peroxide treatment in PC12 cells. Black currant fruit more effectively inhibited lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release into the medium than other tested fruit extracts did. The present results indicate that fruit extracts have the potential to protect neurons from hydrogen peroxide-induced cell damage and should be considered as a prospective functional food and therapeutic product.