Genoprotective Effects of Artemisia and Coffee Extracts on Human Lymphocytes from Healthy Individuals and Cancer Patient

Abstract

cancer remains a major cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, highlighting the need to investigate potential complementary approaches to cancer management. Natural products have attracted considerable attention for their ability to provide biologically active constituents that may help counteract oxidative stress. The target of this work to study the effects of aqueous Artemisia and coffee extracts, individually and in combination, on oxidative DNA damage in human blood lymphocytes (HPBLs) obtained from healthy donors and patients with colorectal cancer, using the alkaline comet assay. Blood samples were collected from five healthy donors and five patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂; 50 µM) was used to induce oxidative DNA damage, and the effects of Artemisia extract, coffee extract, and their combination were assessed by measuring (% Tail DNA). The results showed different responses to the tested treatments. Artemisia extract alone did not demonstrate a clear protective effect, whereas coffee extract was associated with lower DNA damage than the H₂O₂-treated and Artemisia-treated groups. The combined treatment also reduced DNA damage compared with Artemisia treatment alone. These findings suggest that coffee extract may influence oxidative DNA damage under the experimental conditions, while the effects of the combined treatment require further investigation. Given the limited sample size, larger studies incorporating dose–response assessments and molecular analyses are needed.