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Biological activity and composition of teas and tinctures prepared from Rosa rugosa Thunb. IntroductionRugosa rose (Rosa rugosa Thunb.) is an Asian indigenous plant with a long record of traditional medicinal use. Since its introduction to Europe, the hips and flowers of rugosa rose and its hybrids have been widely available and used for production of teas, wines, juices and jams [1,2]. Rose hips are rich in many vitamins, which have prompted their use in medicine, particularly for conditions accompanied by immune deficiency, e.g. common cold [3]. Despite the great commercial potential of the R. rugosa, only a few reports have been published about the phytochemical content and biological activity of this plant; in particular, the knowledge of its roots and leaves remains limited, which is surprising considering that rose roots have been utilized by Asian folk medicine to treat conditions such as diabetes mellitus, pain and chronic inflammatory diseases [4].Previous research has revealed the presence of many biologically active compounds in all parts of R. rugosa [1,[4][5][6][7]. Many of them act as potential natural antioxidants [8][9][10]. Although some R. rugosa extracts were reported to possess antioxidant properties [5,11], there are no detailed studies on their antiradical potential. Similarly, there are only a few data on antibacterial and antitumor properties of the plant. Petals have been shown to have selective antibacterial activity against intestinal and pathogenic bacteria [12]. In terms of antitumor activity, Lee et al. [13] demonstrated that methanolic extracts from rose stem acted as anti-prostate cancer agents. The antiproliferative activity of juice from R. rugosa fruit on several cancer cell lines was indicated as well [14]. However, there are no precise data about phenolic content in different parts of this plant. Research on the composition and activity of other rose species may suggest that in this respect rugosa rose is also of great importance and potential [3].

This is the first such detailed report on chemical composition and biological activity of R. rugosa petals.

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The role of the mitochondria in the process of carcinogenesis, mainly oxidative phosphorylation, mostly concerns their participation in the production of free radicals and ATP and in the process of apoptosis. The purpose of this study was to detect potential changes in the genes encoding the subunits 6 and 8 of the ATP synthase and their impact on the enzyme’s biochemical properties, structure and function in patients with breast tumors. The tested material was mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) isolated from specimens of ductal carcinoma (carcinoma ductale) Tp1-2Np0-1Mp0, blood and non-cancerous tissue of mammary gland (control), sampled from 50 patients who had been operated for breast cancer. In the case of missense-type changes in the mtDNA, protein prediction software was used to assess their effect on the biochemical properties of the protein, its structure and function. We identified 8 changes in the ATP6 gene in 36/50 examined breast cancer cell samples and 5 changes in the ATP8 gene (10/50). Most of them were homoplasmic changes of missense type. Four of the changes (A8439C, G8858C, C9130G and T9119G) had not been described in the literature before. The identified mutations and polymorphisms, especially those of missense type, can affect mitochondrial functions, especially if the conservative domain of the protein is concerned. Replacement of ‘wild-type’ mtDNA by mutated mtDNA can be an important event in carcinogenesis.