In vitro cytotoxic and antioxidative activity of Cornus mas and Cotinus coggygria.

Cytotoxicity and antioxidant properties of the methanol extracts of leaves and flowers of Cornus mas and Cotinus coggygria were studied, together with their chemical composition. Extracts of C. coggygria flowers and leaves showed better antioxidant activity in reaction with 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical as well as in inhibition of lipid peroxidation (LP) than C. mas extracts. Preliminary results showed that all extracts possessed potential cytotoxic activity towards HeLa and LS174 human cancer cell lines in vitro, with stronger inhibition against growth of HeLa cell growth than against LS174 cell growth. Cytotoxic activity of C. coggygria extracts showed good correlation with their antioxidative activity in vitro. In the brine shrimp lethality test, there were no significant changes in toxicity.