STUDIES ON THE ANTICLASTOGENIC EFFECT OF TURMERIC AND CURCUMIN ON CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE AND MITOMYCIN-C IN-VIVO

Turmeric and its main constituent curcumin were assessed in vivo, for their anticlastogenic potential. In one experimental set, Swiss albino male mice were given turmeric (8, 12 and 16 mg/kg body weight) or cur cumin (2, 4 and 8 mg/kg body weight) as a single intraperitoneal injec tion. In another set, the mice were given 8 mg/kg body weight of turme ric or one of three concentrations of curcumin (2, 4 and 8 mg/kg body weight) as a dietary supplement by gavage for 7 consecutive days. 30 m in after the last dose the mice were administered a single acute dose of two known clastogens, cyclophosphamide (CP) (20 mg/kg body weight) or mitomycin C (MMC) (1.5 mg/kg: body weight). After 18 hr, chromosome preparations were made from bone marrow cells. The endpoints studied were chromosome aberrations and damaged cells. Clastogenicity of the c hemicals was compared using turmeric- or curcumin-primed and non-prime d animals. As single agents turmeric and curcumin were not clastogenic even after 7 days of priming. Turmeric/curcumin could not inhibit CP- or MMC-induced clastogenicity. Although curcumin is reported to be th e active chemopreventive principle in turmeric effective against a num ber of potential carcinogens in several experimental systems, it was v irtually ineffective against the clastogenicity of CP or MMC at the do ses tested. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.