Cytotoxic and DNA-Damaging Effects of , and Leaf Extracts on the Human Colon Adenocarcinoma Cell Line Caco-2.

, and leaf extracts contain large amounts of bioactive compounds-mainly polyphenols, which possess many health benefits including anti-cancer properties. Here, we investigate the biological effects of and leaf extracts on the human colon adenocarcinoma cell line Caco-2. The antiproliferative activity of the extracts was measured using the MTT assay. The most cytotoxic extract was (IC = 0.60%). The extracts caused morphological changes in the Caco-2 cells, including partial detachment of cells, necrotic cells, chromatin condensation, cytoplasmic vacuolization, cell nuclei lysis, and nucleus fragmentation. The DNA damage in the Caco-2 cells after exposure to the leaf extracts was measured using the alkaline comet assay. The extracts increased DNA damage in a concentration dependent manner. However, at lower non-cyto- and non-genotoxic (IC) concentrations the extracts induced DNA repair in Caco-2 cells after exposure to hydrogen peroxide. In conclusion, the results of these studies suggest that A and leaf extracts can show anticancer activity. However, further research is required on the mechanisms of anti-cancer activity by these extracts, with the application of more advanced and wide-ranging techniques including in vivo experiments.