Age-related diseases, including
dementia, are a major health concern affecting daily human life. Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa Duch.) is the most eaten fruit worldwide due to its exceptional aroma and flavor. However, it's rapid softening and decay limit its shelf-life. Freezing and boiling represent the well-known conservation methods to extend its shelf-life. Therefore, we aimed to discover the
phytochemical content differences of fresh and processed strawberries associated with investigating and comparing their
neuroprotective effects in a rat model of aging. Female Wistar rats were orally pretreated with fresh, boiled, and frozen F. ananassa methanolic extracts (250 mg kg-1) for 2 weeks, and then these extracts were concomitantly exposed to
D-galactose [65 mg kg-1, subcutaneously (S/C)] and
AlCl3 (200 mg kg-1, orally) for 6 weeks to develop aging-like symptoms. The results of UPLC/ESI-MS
phytochemical profiling revealed 36 secondary metabolites, including phenolics,
flavonoids, and their
glycoside derivatives. Compared with boiled and frozen extracts, the fresh extract ameliorated the behavioral deficits including anxiety and
cognitive dysfunction, upregulated brain HO-1 and Nrf2 levels, and markedly reduced
caspase-3 and
PPAR-γ levels. Moreover, LDH and miRNA-9, 124 and 132
protein expressions were reduced. The histological architecture of the brain hippocampus was restored and
glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunoexpression was downregulated. In conclusion, the fresh extract has neuroprotective activity that could have a promising role in ameliorating age-related neurodegeneration.