Antioxidant, Cytotoxicity and Cytoprotective Potential of Extracts of and Berries.

OBJECTIVES

Accumulation of cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) leads to oxidative stress. Increased production of ROS, such as superoxide anion, or a deficiency in their clearance by antioxidant defences, mediates cellular pathology. fruits are a source of bioactive compounds and have notable antioxidant activity. Although the antioxidant capacity of has been studied, there is very limited evidence that links the antioxidant activities of and to the inhibition of free radical formation associated with damage in biological systems.

METHODS

This study evaluated the protective effects of and extracts against free radical-induced oxidative stress and the resulting cytotoxicity effect using HeLa cells. Antioxidant properties determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and total phenolic content (TPC) assays showed significantly higher (p < 0.05) antioxidant activity in (ethanol extract) than (water extract) and (ethanol and water extracts).

RESULTS

Using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5diphenyltetrazolium bromide or MTT assay, cytotoxicity results showed that extracts of and were less toxic to HeLa cells at tested concentrations compared to the untreated control. This confirmed the low toxicity of these edible fruits at the tested concentrations in HeLa cells. Furthermore, hydrogen peroxide (HO)-induced cell loss was effectively reduced by pre-incubating HeLa cells with and extracts, with (ethanol extract) revealing better protection.

CONCLUSION

The effect was speculated to be associated with the higher antioxidant activity of (ethanol extract). Additional studies will warrant confirmation of the mechanism of action of such effects.