The present study evaluated the total phenolic and flavonoid contents as well as total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of three cultivars of Actinidia arguta Planch. kiwi berries; cv. Mansoo (Mansoo), cv. Chiak (Chiak), and cv. Haeyeon (Haeyeon). In addition, the anti-inflammatory effects of the three cultivars of kiwi berries were investigated using a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cell line. Mansoo had the highest total phenolic content and TAC among the three cultivars, whereas Chiak had the highest total flavonoid content. The total antioxidant capacities of the kiwi berry extracts were more strongly correlated with total phenolic content than with total flavonoid content. The kiwi berry extracts suppressed the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α, from LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. The release of nitrite, an indirect indicator of nitric oxide, was also ameliorated by pre-treatment with the kiwi berry extracts in a dose-dependent manner. Cellular-based measurements of antioxidant capacity exhibited that the kiwi berry extracts had cellular antioxidant capacities. Such cellular antioxidant effects are possibly attributed to their direct antioxidant capacity or to the inhibition of reactive oxygen species generation via anti-inflammatory effects. Our findings suggest that kiwi berries are potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents.

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Hardy kiwifruits (Actinidia arguta) contain various bioactive compounds such as vitamin C and phenolics and can withstand cold temperatures. Changes in soluble solid, vitamin C, total phenolic, and total flavonoid content, and antioxidant capacity of three cultivars of hardy kiwifruits (A. arguta 9 A. deliciosa cv. Mansu, A. arguta cv. Haeyeon, and A. arguta cv. Chiak) were comparatively evaluated for 8 weeks of storage at 1 ± 0.5 °C. After the 8 weeks of storage, soluble solid content of three cultivars increased, whereas their vitamin C content decreased. Throughout this storage period, total phenolic and flavonoid content of cv. Mansu and cv. Haeyeon remained the same, while antioxidant capacity of these two cultivars also remained similar but with slightly more variations. Cv. Chiak, however, showed a decrease in total phenolic and flavonoid content and antioxidant capacity. These results suggest that cold storage of the hardy kiwifruits maintains levels of bioactive compounds.

This study was conducted to comparatively evaluate antioxidant capacity (AC) of seven cultivars of kiwifruit (Actinidia spp.) and their protective effects on neuronal PC-12 cells. The contents of total phenolics (TP) and total flavonoids (TF) of kiwifruits were also examined. Five cultivars of kiwifruit, Actinidia chinensis (cv. Haehyang and cv. Haegeum), A. eriantha (cv. Bidan), A. arguta × A. deliciosa (cv. Mansoo), and A. arguta (cv. Chiak), were bred in Korea, while two cultivars, A. deliciosa (cv. Hayward) and A. linguiensis (accession number 041AE), originated from New Zealand and China, respectively. Skin extracts of kiwifruit showed higher TP, TF, and AC than flesh extracts. The highest levels of TP and AC were found in cv. Bidan flesh extract among cultivars studied, but the TF content of cv. Bidan flesh extract was the lowest. The kiwifruit bred in Korea had higher AC than their counterparts. AC of kiwifruit had a highly positive linear correlation with TP and TF. The flesh extracts from cv. Hayward, cv. Haehyang, and cv. Haegeum significantly (p < 0.05) prevented PC-12 cells from oxidative stress induced using H2O2 compared to a control with H2O2 only. Overall, our results suggest that kiwifruit bred in Korea may offer a good source of antioxidants and serve as functional materials.