Exploring the neuroprotective potential of Saskatoon berry (Amelanchier alnifolia) extracts: antioxidant activity, hemocompatibility, and protection against Aβ-induced cytotoxicity in vitro

Oxidative stress and inflammation are central contributors to several neuropsychiatric conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, the most common dementia, with no curative therapies currently available. Natural products are increasingly investigated as sources of bioactive compounds capable of modulating these mechanisms. Among them, Saskatoon berry ( Amelanchier alnifolia ), a fruit native to the Canadian prairies particularly rich in phenolic compounds, remains largely unexplored with respect to its potential role in supporting neuroglial health. This study evaluated ethanolic and acetonic extracts of Saskatoon berry with respect to their phenolic and flavonoid content, antioxidant activity, hemocompatibility, cytotoxicity in neuronal and astrocytic cells. In addition, using an amyloid beta (Aβ)-induced cytotoxicity model in neuronal cultures, we assessed whether treatment with the extracts could mitigate Aβ toxicity. Our findings showed that the acetonic extract exhibited significantly higher total phenolic and total flavonoid content compared to the ethanolic extract. Despite this difference, both extracts showed similar antioxidant activity, with modest performance in FRAP and ORAC but strong radical scavenging in DPPH. Both were hemocompatible, with the ethanolic extract providing greater protection against oxidative hemolysis. Conversely, the ethanolic extract reduced neuronal and astrocytic cell viability, while the acetonic extract was non-cytotoxic up to 3 mg/mL. In the Aβ model, the acetonic extract produced only a nominal improvement in cell viability, which did not remain significant after correction. These findings provide foundational evidence for the antioxidant and protective properties of Saskatoon berry extracts and highlight the relative safety of the acetonic preparation, while underscoring the need for chemical characterization and in vivo validation.