Abstract
Prunus avium L. (sweet cherry) is one of the most appreciated fruit due to its organoleptic and nutritional value. Interestingly, cherry leaves, stems, and flowers are agri-food by-products rich in bioactive compounds that are mostly still unexploited. Stems and leaves have been used in folk medicine since ancient times. Recently, cherry flowers have also proved to be an interesting source of compounds with therapeutic properties. Phenolic compounds, namely hydroxycinnamic acids and flavonoids, are the most present phytochemicals in P. avium fruits and their by-products. These compounds have shown a good antioxidant potential to prevent oxidative stress-related diseases and glycemic control, fundamental in preventing and controlling diabetes mellitus. The present review summarizes the main phenolics found in P. avium stems, leaves, and flowers as compared to their fruits and describes their antioxidant and anti-hyperglycemic properties. Thus, these by-products are an accessible and low-cost source of bioactive constituents with interesting health-promoting properties, making their use promising in diabetes therapy.
Highlights
P. avium stems revealed the highest antioxidant potential when compared to sweet cherry fruit extracts, probably due to a higher amount of phenolic acids and flavonoids found in this by-product [12]
Different extracts of cherry by-products are rich in phenolics, with phenolic acids and flavonoids as the main bioactive compounds
Several studies reported that these extracts or compounds present in cherry by-products possess antioxidant and anti-hyperglycemic activities that are relevant in the prevention of oxidative stressrelated diseases such as diabetes mellitus (DM)
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The literature reports compelling evidence of the benefits ascribed to the long-term consumption of phenolics in the prevention of several oxidative stress-induced diseases such as diabetes mellitus (DM) [19,20]. It is well-recognized that the regular consumption of fruits, vegetables, and herbal infusions is an excellent strategy for the reduction of the risk of DM. More recently, scientific reports from our research group and others have started to unveil the remarkable effects of P. avium fruits and their by-products against oxidative stress-related diseases [5,6,7,10].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
