Rj. Anto et al., ANTIMUTAGENIC AND ANTICARCINOGENIC ACTIVITY OF NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC CURCUMINOIDS, Mutation research. Genetic toxicology testing, 370(2), 1996, pp. 127-131
Five synthetic curcuminoids and three natural curcuminoids were invest
igated for their antimutagenic and anti-promotional activity. The natu
ral curcuminoids, curcumin I (diferuloylmethane), curcumin II (feruloy
l-p-hydroxycinnamoylmethane) and curcumin III (bis-(p-hydroxycinnamoyl
)methane) isolated from Curcuma longa were found to be potent inhibito
rs of mutagenesis and crotean oil-induced tumour promotion. Curcumin I
II produced 87.6% inhibition to 2-acetamidofluorene (2-AAF) induced mu
tagenesis, at a concentration of 100 mu g/plate, curcumin II and curcu
min I produced 70.5% and 68.3% inhibition at the same concentration. A
ll the synthetic curcuminoids were found to inhibit 2-AAF-induced muta
genicity among which salicyl- and anisylcurcuminoids were the most act
ive. Curcumin III was the most effective anti-promotor among natural c
urcuminoids. While 90% of the control animals were having papillomas o
n the 10th week of tumour initiation, only 10% of the curcumin III-tre
ated animals, 20% of the curcumin II-treated animals, and 40% of the c
urcumin I-treated animals were having papillomas. salicylcurcuminoid,
which was causing no papillomas by the 10th week, was the most potent
anti-carcinogen among the synthetic curcuminoids. Piperonal curcuminoi
d also exhibited anti-promotional activity.