Tumor cell growth activity of fruit and pomace extracts

Abstract

© 2015 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Fruit and fruit waste by-products that are usually obtained after industrial processing should be regarded as a potential nutraceutical resource capable of offering low-cost, nutritional and health promoting dietary supplements. They can contain significant amounts of carotenoids, phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanins and other bioactive phytochemicals that can modulate cell proliferation, oxidative reactions in cellular systems and exert excellent anti-oxidative, anti-microbial, anti-proliferative and proapoptotic activities. Fruit and fruit pomace extracts of different genotypes of tomato, pepper, raspberry, bilberry and rosehip exerted pronounced and selective tumor cell growth inhibition effects in cervix, breast and colon tumor cells. They also demonstrated favorable non-tumor/tumor cell growth ratios and increased apoptosis/necrosis ratios. These are the qualities that favor their use as healthy food and promote the development of dietary supplements on their basis. Anti-tumor activity of different fruit species, genotypes and their waste by-products was compared and discussed with regard to different extraction procedures and bioactive phytochemicals content.