Özet:

Objective: Recently many investigations on cinnamon have focused on its powerful antioxidant activity due to its rich polyphenol content. Polyphenols have also been reported to act as pro-oxidants, causing oxidative strand breaks in DNA. In the present study, we investigated the cytotoxic and genotoxic potential of Cinnamomum cassia water extract in human peripheral blood lymphocytes.  Methods: Cinnamomum cassia water extract was prepared from grounded bark of cinnamon by maceration with ultrapure water for 72 h. Cytotoxicity of the extract on lymphocytes was determined by WST-1 assay. Alkaline Comet assay was conducted to evaluate the DNA damaging potential of the extract. DNA damage was expressed as DNA percentage in the tail and tail moment.  Results: The viability of lymphocytes was decreased by treatment with the extract for 24 h, as a concentration-dependent manner. At the concentrations ?400 µg/ml, the extract induced significant DNA damage compared to negative control. Conclusion: Our results show the cytotoxic and genotoxic potential of Cinnamomum cassia bark water extract in vitro. This finding seems a significant safety concern, particularly in high doses or long term use of the extract, and therefore needs to be clarified by in vivo studies. Key words:  Cinnamomum cassia, alkaline Comet assay, cytotoxicity, pro-oxidant activity

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