Antiglycation Activity of Iridoids and Their Food Sources

Iridoids are dietary phytochemicals that may have the ability to inhibit the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Three studies were conducted to investigate this anti-AGE potential. First, the inhibition of fluorescence intensity by food-derived iridoids, after 4 days of incubation with bovine serum albumin, glucose, and fructose, was used to evaluate in vitro antiglycation activity. Next, an 8-week open-label pilot study used the AGE Reader to measure changes in the skin autofluorescence of 34 overweight adults who consumed daily a beverage containing food sources of iridoids. Finally, a cross-sectional population study with 3913 people analyzed the relationship between daily iridoid intake and AGE accumulation, as measured by skin autofluorescence with the TruAge scanner. In the in vitro test, deacetylasperulosidic acid and loganic acid both inhibited glycation in a concentration-dependent manner, with respective IC50 values of 3.55 and 2.69 mM. In the pilot study, average skin autofluorescence measurements decreased by 0.12 units (P < 0.05). The cross-sectional population survey revealed that, for every mg of iridoids consumed, there is a corresponding decline in AGE associated age of 0.017 years (P < 0.0001). These results suggest that consumption of dietary sources of iridoids may be a useful antiaging strategy.