Antiproliferative and antioxidant activities of Turkish pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) accessions

The objective of this study was to assess antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of four different Turkish pomegranate varieties (Hatay, Hicaz, Adana and Antalya) using an in vitro HepG2 cancer cell model. All the pomegranate extracts employed in this study significantly diminish the proliferation of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner. The total phenolic acid, anthocyanin and flavonoid contents for each of the four varieties were determined. The Hatay pomegranate variety had the highest total phenolic acid (337.4 +/- 2.34mg/100g) and flavonoid (58.42 +/- 2.25mg/100g) contents of the pomegranates examined. Antioxidant activities of the pomegranates were determined using DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging assays. The lack of correlation between colour index value and antioxidant-antiproliferative activities suggested that phenolic acids and flavonoids are predominant compounds influencing pomegranate's bioactivity rather than anthocyanins. Individual phenolic acids found in Hatay pomegranates were determined, using an HPLC system, as gallic acid being the most predominant phenolic compound.