Abstract
There is growing interest both from consumers and researchers in the role that berries play in human health. In the experiments reported here, we assessed the ability of anthocyanins and phenolic fractions of Boysenberry and blackcurrant to ameliorate the deleterious effect of the amyloid β~25–35~ (100 µmol L^−1^, 24 h) and dopamine (1 mmol L^−1^, 4 h) on calcium buffering (recovery) of M1 muscarinic receptor‐transfected COS‐7 cells. Cell viability was also studied. Our results demonstrate that extracts of Boysenberry and blackcurrant showed significant protective effect and restored the calcium buffering ability of cells that had been subjected to oxidative stress induced by dopamine and the amyloid β~25–35~. Blackcurrant polyphenolics showed slightly higher protective effect against dopamine, whereas Boysenberry polyphenolics had a higher effect against the amyloid β~25–35~. In viability studies, all extracts showed significant protective effects against dopamine and amyloid β~25–35~‐induced cytotoxicity. Our results provide further evidence for the protective effects of berries against the neurotoxic effect of dopamine and amyloid β~25–35~ in brain cells. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry