• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.280-288
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• 2023

In strawberry farming, most parts of strawberry stems but the fruit have been dumped. Therefore, this study attempted to investigate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of strawberry stems which are thrown away after farming. For this, strawberry stem extracts were obtained, using hot water and 70% ethanol. First, total polyphenol contents of the hot water and ethanol extract were checked (265.4 ± 0.12 mg TAE/100 g, 503.88 ± 0.2 mg TAE/100 g). For analysis of antioxidant activities, electron donating ability (EDA) and 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activity were measured. Both extracts increased in a dose-dependent fashion, and similar effects with vitamin C (control group) were confirmed. In terms of cell viability of the hot water and ethanol extracts of strawberry stems, 'RAW 264.7' was 99% or higher at 500 ㎍/ml. In addition, cell experiments were conducted at 50, 100 and 500 ㎍/ml where cell viability is above 99%. In terms of inhibition of the inflammatory mediator 'nitric oxide (NO)', the hot water and ethanol extracts of strawberry stems were 37.9% and 38.8% respectively, confirming the inhibition of NO production. To check anti-inflammatory activities, protein and mRNA expressions of 'iNOS' and 'COX-2' were measured, using RAW 264.7. Compared to the LPS group, the protein expression of the inflammatory mediators was inhibited in the hot water and ethanol extract-treated groups. The above results confirmed that the hot water and ethanol extracts of strawberry stems are valuable as natural substances with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.287-297
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• 2024

It was confirmed that complex fermentation (CF) was more efficient than single-strain fermentations in inducing changes in the contents of phenolic compounds of Maclura tricuspidate and Pyrus Montana Nakai. A mixture of Maclura tricuspidata, Pyrus montana Nakai, Platycodon grandiflorum and Codonopsis lanceolata were fermented in CF using Aspergillus shirousamii (koji), yeast, and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) for 24 days, and the pH, °Brix, total acidity, anti-oxidant activity, polyphenol content, nitric oxide (NO), and Western blotting of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2), and tumor necrosis factor-𝛼 (TNF-𝛼) of the sample were determined. There was no significant change in pH and total acidity. °Brix significantly decreased from day 6 onwards. HPLC confirmed that the concentrations of chlorogenic acid, 4-hydrobenzoic acid, vanillic acid, and caffeic acid significantly increased from day 18 during the fermentation. Additionally, DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging activity, total phenol, and total flavonoid were confirmed to be increased until 18 days. NO was significantly inhibited from day 6, along with significant inhibition of iNOS, COX-2, and TNF-a. In conclusion, this study confirmed that CF of low-use (or underutilized) wild vegetables enhances phenolic compounds. It effectively suppresses NO, iNOS, COX-2, and TNF-𝛼, markers of inflammation-related pathogenesis. Altogether, our results suggest that CF of the above plants has a potential anti-inflammatory effect.