Fruits and leaves from wild blueberry plants contain diverse polyphenols and decrease neuroinflammatory responses in microglia

Abstract

Abstract For the treatment of neurological disorders, polyphenols in Vaccinium berry species may be an effective addition to standard medicinal products. Polyphenols may reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, processes believed to contribute to disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. We performed an analysis of polyphenol content, biochemical attributes and neurobiological activity of extracts from wild blueberries native to Newfoundland and Labrador. Fruits and leaves of samples contained several polyphenolic compounds, such as anthocyanins, and demonstrated high antioxidant capacity. Cell cultures of microglia, the innate immune cells of the brain, were exposed to glutamate or α-synuclein in order to induce inflammatory responses, which decreased the amount of cells after 24 h. Overall, treatment of cells with fruit or leaf extracts inhibited cell death and decreased morphological criteria associated with inflammation. These results suggest that dietary intake of blueberry fruits and leaves or supplements may be protective against neurodegenerative disorders that include a neuroinflammatory component.