| Summary: | <i>Aronia melanocarpa</i>, <i>Cornus mas</i>, and <i>Chaenomeles superba</i> leaf extracts contain large amounts of bioactive compounds—mainly polyphenols, which possess many health benefits including anti-cancer properties. Here, we investigate the biological effects of <i>A. melanocarpa, C. mas</i>, and <i>C. superba</i> leaf extracts on the human colon adenocarcinoma cell line Caco-2. The antiproliferative activity of the extracts was measured using the MTT assay. The most cytotoxic extract was <i>C. mas</i> (IC<sub>50</sub> = 0.60%). The extracts caused morphological changes in the Caco-2 cells, including partial detachment of cells, necrotic cells, chromatin condensation, cytoplasmic vacuolization, cell nuclei lysis, and nucleus fragmentation. The DNA damage in the Caco-2 cells after exposure to the leaf extracts was measured using the alkaline comet assay. The extracts increased DNA damage in a concentration dependent manner. However, at lower non-cyto- and non-genotoxic (IC<sub>0</sub>) concentrations the extracts induced DNA repair in Caco-2 cells after exposure to hydrogen peroxide. In conclusion, the results of these studies suggest that A<i>. melanocarpa, C. mas</i> and <i>C. superba</i> leaf extracts can show anticancer activity. However, further research is required on the mechanisms of anti-cancer activity by these extracts, with the application of more advanced and wide-ranging techniques including in vivo experiments.
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