Actinidia arguta (Actinidiaceae), which is commonly referred to as hardy kiwifruit, has been reported to possess anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic and antioxidative properties. The protective effect of the leaves and stems of A. arguta against amyloid β protein (Aβ) (25-35)-induced cultured neuronal cell death and memory impairment was investigated in the current study. Exposure of cultured cortical neurons to 10 μM Aβ (25-35) for 24 h induced significant neuronal death as assessed by a 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol- 2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and Hoechst 33342 staining. However, A. arguta (10 and 50 μg/ ml) prevented Aβ (25-35)-induced apoptotic neuronal death in cultured cortical neurons. A. arguta also inhibited the 100 μM H2O2-induced decrease of the MTT reduction rate in cultured neurons. Memory impairment was produced by intracerebroventricular microinjection of 15 nmol Aβ (25- 35) and examined using the passive avoidance test in ICR mice. Chronic treatments with A. arguta (50 and 100 mg/ kg, 14 days, p.o.) significantly prevented memory impairment induced by Aβ (25-35), and A. arguta inhibited the Aβ (25-35)-induced increase of cholinesterase activity in the brains of memory impaired mice. These results suggest that A. arguta might be able to inhibit Aβ (25-35)-induced neuronal death and memory impairment via antioxidative and anti-cholinesterase effects and that A. arguta could have a therapeutic role for preventing the progression of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of superheated steam drying on physicochemical and microbial characteristics of Korean traditional actinidia (Actinidia arguta) leaves. Actinidia leaves were dried at steam temperature of 350℃ and oven temperature of 150℃ for 40-200 sec. Moisture content and water activity decreased with increasing the drying time, while color values including L, a, and b values and total color difference (ΔE) increased as drying time increased. The relationship between moisture content and water activity showed an exponential fit with high correlation vlaue (R2=0.9909). Total phenolics and flavonoids content and antioxidant activity such as DPPH radical scavenging activity, ABTS radical scavenging activity, and FRAP assay of dried actinidia leaves increased with increasing the drying time up to 160 sec, but dramatically decreased at drying of 200 sec. The numbers of total areobic bacteria of leaves was not detected at drying time over 120 sec and coliform of all the samples was not detected. As a results, the superheated steam was an very effective drying method of increase to the nutritional and sanitary quality of dried Korean traditional actinidia leaves.