Comparative anthocyanin profiles and anti-inflammatory activities in strawberry cultivars (Fragaria x ananassa Duch)

This study compared and evaluated the metabolic profiles and anti-inflammatory activities of strawberry cultivars (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) Janghee, Jukhyang, Seolhyang, Maehyang, and Merryqueen. Among the five cultivars, the anthocyanin-rich fractions of Jukhyang and Merryqueen contained higher total anthocyanin content than the other cultivars. Multivariate statistical analysis was performed on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) data from the metabolite profiling of the five varieties, identifying a total of 1075 metabolites. The hierarchical cluster analysis grouped them into CON (Janghee), Group 1 (Jukhyang and Seolhyang), and Group 2 (Maehyang and Merryqueen). Pelargonidin-3-O-glucoside and cyanidin-3-Oglucoside, which differed significantly among the groups, were quantified as signature metabolites. Anti-inflammatory activity using RAW 264.7 cells showed that Jukhyang exhibited the highest inhibitory effect on nitric oxide and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression. This study highlights differences in major metabolites among purified strawberry varieties and comparatively evaluated their distinct anti-inflammatory activities.