Flores-Melivilu, D., Carrazana, E., García, N., Alarcón, S., Caru-Ruiz, M., Chacón-Fuentes, M., Santos, N., Ahumada, M., Nova, E., Diaz-Espinoza, R., Sanhueza, M., Hormazábal, E. & Salvadores, N. (2026). Aristotelia chilensis Fruit Extracts Exhibit Neuroprotective Properties Against Alzheimer's Disease Related Mechanisms. Molecular neurobiology, 63(1), 565. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-026-05855-3

Abstract: Aristotelia chilensis (maqui) extracts have garnered interest for their potential bioactivity, yet their specific effects on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology remain understudied. This study evaluated the neuroprotective properties of white and black maqui fruit extracts against glutamate-induced excitotoxicity and β-amyloid (Aβ) fibrillogenesis in vitro. Pre-treatment with maqui extracts significantly mitigated glutamate toxicity, increasing cell viability from 26.8% in glutamate-treated cells to 49.9% and 48.8% for white and black maqui, respectively. Furthermore, the extracts reduced Fluorojade C-positive degenerating neurons by up to 86.4% compared to the glutamate control. The extracts also exhibited potent anti-fibrillogenic activity, suppressing Aβ fibril formation by up to 77% in the ThT assay. Electron microscopy confirmed this inhibitory effect by showing a reduction in fibrillar structures. In contrast, neither extract inhibited acetylcholinesterase nor butyrylcholinesterase activity. Together, these results indicate that maqui fruits contain compounds capable of modulating key pathological features of AD in vitro, supporting their potential for further investigation.