8th International Strawberry Symposium

Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) is an important dietary source of bioactive compounds, most of which are natural antioxidants that contribute to the high nutritional quality and beneficial properties of the fruit. Their possible use in ameliorating skin conditions has been recently proposed; however, their implication in cosmetic formulation against UVA-induced damage has not yet been investigated. Skin is constantly exposed to several physical, biological and environmental stressors, such as UVA radiation, that induce inflammation, oxidative stress and cell death through the production of reactive oxygen species. The aims of this study were to characterize the strawberry content of the Alba cultivar and to assess the potential photoprotective capacity of different strawberry-based formulations in association with sun protection factor 10 (SPF10) or 50 (SPF50), in human dermal fibroblasts (HuDe) exposed to UVA radiation. We confirmed that strawberries are a very rich source of polyphenols, anthocyanins and vitamins, and possess high total antioxidant capacity. We also highlighted that strawberry extracts (25 μg mL-1 - 1 mg mL-1) exert a noticeable photoprotection in HuDe, increasing cell viability in a dose-dependent way, both with SPF10 and SPF50. We demonstrated that the topical use of strawberry extract may provide good photoprotection against UVA-damage; nevertheless more in-depth studies are necessary to evaluate the cellular and molecular pathways involved in strawberry protective effects.