Antiglycation, Antioxidant and Antidiabetic Activity of Mature Strawberry (fragaria × Ananassa) Fruits

A comprehensive in vitro study involving antiglycation, antioxidant and anti-diabetic assays was carried out in mature fruits of strawberry. The effect of aqueous extract of mature strawberry fruits on glycation of guanosine with glucose and fructose with or without oxidizing entities like reactive oxygen species was analyzed. Spectral studies showed that glycation and/or fructation of guanosine was significantly inhibited by aqueous extract of strawberry. The UV absorbance of the glycation reactions was found to be maximum at 24 hrs. and decreased consecutively for 48, 72 and 96 hours. Inhibition of oxidative damage due to reactive oxygen species was also observed in presence of the plant extract. To our knowledge, antiglycation activity of strawberry fruit with reference to guanosine is being demonstrated for the first time. To determine the antioxidant activity of the plant extract, in vitro antioxidant enzymes assays (catalase, peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase and ascorbic acid oxidase) and antioxidant assays (DPPH, superoxide anion scavenging activity and xanthine oxidase) were performed. Maximum inhibition activity of 79.36%, 65.62% and 62.78% was observed for DPPH, superoxide anion scavenging and xanthine oxidase, respectively. In antidiabetic assays, IC50 value for alpha – amylase and alpha – glucosidase activity of fruit extract of strawberry was found to be 86.47 ± 1.12μg/ml and 76.83 ± 0.93 μg/ml, respectively. Thus, the aqueous extract of strawberry showed antiglycation, antioxidant and antidiabetic properties indicating that strawberry fruits, as a dietary supplement, may be utilized towards management of diabetes.