Evaluation of Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Properties of Cornus mas L. Fruit Juice

Abstract

Cornus mas L. (Cornelian cherry) is a flowering plant indigenous to Europe and parts of Asia, mostly studied for the antimicrobial activity of its juice. In this report, we investigated the composition and the in vitro antioxidant capacity of Cornus mas L. fruit juice from Greece, as well as its antiproliferative properties in vitro and in vivo. The fruits showed a high content of citric, malic, and succinic acid, in contrast to their juice, which had a low concentration of organic acids. The juice demonstrated significant antioxidant activity against the free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and modest antiproliferative potential against four human cancer cells lines and one murine: mammary adenocarcinoma MCF-7, hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 and colon adenocarcinomas Caco2, HT-29, as well as murine colon carcinoma CT26. Cell viability was reduced by 40–50% following incubation of the cells with the highest concentration of the juice. Although Cornelian cherry juice exhibited in vitro growth inhibitory effects against colon carcinoma cells, no tumor growth inhibition was observed in an in vivo experimental colon carcinoma model in mice following prophylactic oral administration of a daily dose of 100 μL juice for a period of 10 days. Thus, our findings raise interesting questions for further research on Cornus mas L. fruit juice, and in parallel, the strong antioxidant potential implies that the plant could be further explored and exploited for its protective effect against oxidative damage.

Cytotoxic and DNA-Damaging Effects of Aronia melanocarpa, Cornus mas, and Chaenomeles superba Leaf Extracts on the Human Colon Adenocarcinoma Cell Line Caco-2

“…This may explain the stronger cytotoxic effect of C. mas extract on Caco-2 cells. The anti-proliferative activity of extracts obtained from C. mas flowers, leaves, and fruits has been demonstrated in the literature [36][37][38][39][40], as well as the activity of A. melanocarpa leaves, fruits, and stems [41][42][43][44] against cancer cells. To our knowledge, there have been no previous studies on the cytotoxicity of C. superba extracts.…”

“…The extract inhibited cells proliferation in SKOV3, MCF-7, PC-3, and A549 cells by 81.8%, 81.9%, 81.6%, and 79.3%, respectively. Tiptiri-Kourpeti et al [39] demonstrated the cytotoxic activity of C. mas fruit juice against four human cancer cell lines and one murine cell line: mammary adenocarcinoma MCF-7, hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 and colon adenocarcinomas Caco2, HT-29, andmurine colon carcinoma CT26. Cell viability was reduced by 40-50% following incubation with the highest concentration of juice.…”

Cornus mas L. Stones: A Valuable by-Product as an Ellagitannin Source with High Antioxidant Potential

“…This fact probably justifies the traditional applications of cornelian cherry [ 2 , 8 ]. Recently, several in vitro and in vivo studies have confirmed antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, hypolipidemic, anti-atherosclerotic, antimicrobial, and anticancer activity of the fruits [ 3 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ].…”

Cornelian Cherry Pulp Has Beneficial Impact on Dyslipidemia and Reduced Bone Quality in Zucker Diabetic Fatty Rats

“…Cornelian cherry ( Cornus mas L.) is a flowering plant that belongs to Cornaceae family, with occurrence in Southern and Central Europe, as well as Western Asia. Cornelian cherry fruit is used for food, syrup and jam production, and in the fermented form, it is used to make alcoholic beverage [ 21 , 22 ]. It is rich in proteins, vitamins, antioxidants, mineral matters [ 23 , 24 , 25 ], polyphenols (e.g., anthocyanins, flavonoids, catechins and tannins) and other essential supplements [ 22 ].…”

“…Cornelian cherry fruit is used for food, syrup and jam production, and in the fermented form, it is used to make alcoholic beverage [ 21 , 22 ]. It is rich in proteins, vitamins, antioxidants, mineral matters [ 23 , 24 , 25 ], polyphenols (e.g., anthocyanins, flavonoids, catechins and tannins) and other essential supplements [ 22 ]. All of these compounds have antioxidant, antimicrobial, hypolipidemic, hyperinsulinemic [ 26 ], anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties and also offer positive support to the nervous and cardiovascular systems [ 25 ].…”