Cornus mass L. Inhibition of Proliferation of Human Cancer Cells in Vitro

Cornus mas L. (Cornaceae family) known as the Asiatic and European cornelian cherry is a species of dogwood native to Southwest Asia and Southern Europe. Cornelian cherry is an obviously growing dogwood species in Arasbaran (East Azerbaijan, Iran). It is a medium to large deciduous shrub or small tree growing to 5-12 m tall, with dark brown branches and greenish twigs(Tural and Koca, 2008). The fruit is an oblong, red drupe 2cm long and 1.5 cm in diameter, containing a single seed. The ripe fruit is safe to eat, but the unripe is astringent (Figure 1). The most common use of cornelian cherry fruits is to produce diverse drinks, sweets, gels, and jams. Extract from the fruits is also used in Europe for cosmetic purposes (Seeram et al., 2002). Many natural compounds, phenolics and in particular flavonoids were found to be an important part of human diet and are considered as active principles in many medicinal plants. In addition, flavonoids with their subclass anthocyanins, contribute the yellow, orange,