Unlocking the Therapeutic Potential of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni: A Natural Antiglycating Agent and Non-Toxic Support for HDF Cell Health

Abstract

Sugar carbonyl groups interact with protein amino groups, forming toxic components referred to as advanced glycation end products (AGEs). The glycation system (BSA, a model protein, and fructose) was incubated for five weeks at 37 °C in the presence and absence of Stevia leaf extract. The results indicated that the leaf extract (0.5 mg/mL) decreased the incidence of browning (70.84 ± 0.08%), fructosamine (67.27 ± 0.08%), and carbonyl content (64.04 ± 0.09%). Moreover, we observed an 81 ± 8.49% reduction in total AGEs. The inhibition of individual AGE (argpyrimidine, vesper lysine, and pentosidine) was ~80%. The decrease in the protein aggregation was observed with Congo red (46.88 ± 0.078%) and the Thioflavin T (31.25 ± 1.18%) methods in the presence of Stevia leaf extract. The repercussion of Stevia leaf extract on DNA glycation was examined using agarose gel electrophoresis, wherein the DNA damage was reversed in the presence of 1 mg/mL of leaf extract. When the HDF cell line was treated with 0.5 mg/mL of extract, the viability of cells decreased by only ~20% along with the same cytokine IL-10 production, and glucose uptake decreased by 28 ± 1.90% compared to the control. In conclusion, Stevia extract emerges as a promising natural agent for mitigating glycation-associated challenges, holding potential for novel therapeutic interventions and enhanced management of its related conditions.