Comparative evaluation of the cytotoxic and antioxidant effects of apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) fruit and traditionally prepared apricot jam: Differential impacts on healthy and cancer cell lines

Cancer is a complex, multifactorial disease in which the toxic side effects of drugs hinder patients' quality of life and adherence to treatment. During this period, people try to cope with the negative effects of treatment and disease by consuming natural foods. This study compared the antiproliferative and antioxidant effects of apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) fruit and traditionally prepared jam. Cytotoxic effects were investigated using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) method in L929, A549, CaCo-2, Hep3B, MCF-7 and PC-3 cell lines. Antioxidant capacity was determined by DPPH, CUPRAC, and TEAC methods. While jam exhibited cytotoxic effects in healthy cells at concentrations exceeding 400 µg/mL, the fruit aqueous extract did not reduce cell viability. In cancer cells, the fruit aqueous extract showed a concentration-dependent cytotoxic effect, with 64.60% and 58.8% cytotoxicity observed against the Hep-3B cell line at 800 and 1600 µg/mL, respectively. Notably, jam was found to promote cancer cell proliferation at higher concentrations, a critical observation that contrasts sharply with the fruit extract's antiproliferative effects. In all experiments, the aqueous extract showed a higher antioxidant effect than the jam. The results indicate that the antiproliferative and antioxidant effects of jam compared to fruit were reduced due to added sugar and high temperature.