The effects of pre-harvest and post-harvest factors on the nutritional quality of strawberry fruits: A review

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Data on body weight and liver functionality in aged rats fed an enriched strawberry diet

Here, we present new original data on the effects of strawberry consumption on body weight and liver status of aged rats. Wistar rats aged 19–21 months were fed a strawberry enriched diet prepared by substituting 15% of the total calories with freeze-dried strawberry powder for two months. Body weight, plasma biomarkers of liver injury (alanine transferase, aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase) and liver histological analysis were assessed. These data indicate that strawberry supplementation did not interfere with normal animal maintenance and with liver structure and functionality. For further details and experimental findings please refer to the article “Strawberry consumption improves agingassociated impairments, mitochondrial biogenesis and functionality through the AMP-Activated Protein Kinase signaling cascade” in FOOD CHEMISTRY (Giampieri et al., 2017).European Union (EU) 67930

The effects of pre-harvest and post-harvest factors on the nutritional quality of strawberry fruits: A review

In the last years, the nutritional quality of fruits has been widely evaluated and requested by consumers, mainly because of the health effects they provide. As known, these benefits can be due to micronutrients, as vitamins and minerals, but also to phenolic compounds, as flavonoids and ellagitannins. In this context, strawberries represent a very good choice for a diet low in saturated fats and sodium and, at the same time they are rich in fiber, potassium and other minerals, vitamins, and antioxidant phytochemicals: all elements that are currently considered as the essential constituents of a well-balanced diet. However, the nutritional quality of strawberry fruits can be considerably affected by several pre-harvest and post-harvest conditions, which, in most cases, may decrease the nutrient and the phytochemical contents of this fruit. This paper reviews and updates the current knowledge on the nutritional and phytochemical composition of strawberry, paying particular attention on the role played by the genotype, the maturity, the environment, the storage and the processing on the nutritional quality of this fruit

Anti-inflammatory effect of strawberry extract against LPS-induced stress in RAW 264.7 macrophages

A common denominator in the pathogenesis of most chronic inflammatory diseases is the involvement of oxidative stress, related to ROS production by all aerobic organisms. Dietary antioxidants from plant foods represent an efficient strategy to counteract this condition. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the protective effects of strawberry extracts on inflammatory status induced by E. Coli LPS on RAW 264.7 macrophages by measuring the main oxidative and inflammatory biomarkers and investigating the molecular pathways involved. Strawberry pre-treatment efficiently counteracted LPS-induced oxidative stress reducing the amount of ROS and nitrite production, stimulating endogenous antioxidant enzyme activities and enhancing protection against lipid, protein and DNA damage (P < 0.05). Strawberry pre-treatment exerted these protective effects primarily through the activation of the Nrf2 pathway, which is markedly AMPK-dependent and also by the modulation of the NF-kB signalling pathway. Finally, an improvement in mitochondria functionality was also detected. The results obtained in this work highlight the health benefit of strawberries against inflammatory and oxidative stress in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages, investigating for the first time the possible involved molecular mechanisms

Strawberry intake increases blood fluid, erythrocyte and mononuclear cell defenses against oxidative challenge

The health promoting effects of a regular consumption of strawberries deserve attention, and a direct or indirect antioxidant role of strawberry bioactive compounds is among the most probable mechanisms underlying their beneficial properties. In the present study, we evaluated the overall effects of a two-week daily consumption of strawberries on plasma antioxidant status, membrane lipid susceptibility to ex vivo-induced oxidation,and erythrocyte and mononuclear cell resistance to oxidative damage in apparently healthy volunteers. After strawberry intake, a moderate increase in fasting plasma antioxidant capacity and vitamin C was observed, together with a significant increase in the lag phase preceding plasma lipid oxidation. A significantly enhanced resistance to oxidative hemolysis was confirmed in red blood cells, while no significant changes were found in the extent of their membrane lipid peroxidation. For the first time, increased intake of strawberries for only two weeks was shown to be sufficient to attenuate mononuclear cell mortality after ex vivo exposure to a single acuteoxidative challenge, but the analysis of DNA oxidative damage gave conflicting results. These findings suggest that a regular consumption of strawberries may enhance body defences against oxidative challenges

Can Coenzyme Q10Improve Clinical and Molecular Parameters in Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a complex disorder that affects up to 5% of the general population worldwide. Its pathophysiological mechanisms are difficult to identify and current drug therapies demonstrate limited effectiveness. Both mitochondrial dysfunction and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) deficiency have been implicated in FM pathophysiology. We have investigated the effect of CoQ10 supplementation. We carried out a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate clinical and gene expression effects of forty days of CoQ10 supplementation (300 mg/day) on 20 FM patients. This study was registered with controlled-trials.com (ISRCTN 21164124). An important clinical improvement was evident after CoQ10 versus placebo treatment showing a reduction of FIQ (p<0.001), and a most prominent reduction in pain (p<0.001), fatigue, and morning tiredness (p<0.01) subscales from FIQ. Furthermore, we observed an important reduction in the pain visual scale (p<0.01) and a reduction in tender points (p<0.01), including recovery of inflammation, antioxidant enzymes, mitochondrial biogenesis, and AMPK gene expression levels, associated with phosphorylation of the AMPK activity. These results lead to the hypothesis that CoQ10 have a potential therapeutic effect in FM, and indicate new potential molecular targets for the therapy of this disease. AMPK could be implicated in the pathophysiology of FM

One-month strawberry-rich anthocyanin supplementation ameliorates cardiovascular risk, oxidative stress markers and platelet activation in humans

Strawberries are an important fruit in the Mediterranean diet because of their high content of essential nutrients and beneficial phytochemicals, which seem to exert beneficial effects in human health. Healthy volunteers were supplemented daily with 500 g of strawberries for 1 month. Plasma lipid profile, circulating and cellular markers of antioxidant status, oxidative stress and platelet function were evaluated at baseline, after 30 days of strawberry consumption and 15 days after the end of the study. A high concentration of vitamin C and anthocyanins was found in the fruits. Strawberry consumption beneficially influenced the lipid profile by significantly reducing total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides levels (-8.78%, -13.72% and -20.80%, respectively; P<.05) compared with baseline period, while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol remained unchanged. Strawberry supplementation also significant decreased serum malondialdehyde, urinary 8-OHdG and isoprostanes levels (-31.40%, -29.67%, -27.90%, respectively; P<.05). All the parameters returned to baseline values after the washout period. A significant increase in plasma total antioxidant capacity measured by both ferric reducing ability of plasma and oxygen radical absorbance capacity assays and vitamin C levels (+24.97%, +41.18%, +41.36%, respectively; P<.05) was observed after strawberry consumption. Moreover, the spontaneous and oxidative hemolysis were significant reduced (-31.7% and -39.03%, respectively; P<.05), compared to the baseline point, which remained stable after the washout period. Finally, strawberry intake significant decrease (P<.05) the number of activated platelets, compared to both baseline and washout values. Strawberries consumption improves plasma lipids profile, biomarkers of antioxidant status, antihemolytic defenses and platelet function in healthy subjects, encouraging further evaluation on a population with higher cardiovascular disease risk