In vitro cytogenetic and genotoxic effects of curcumin on human peripheral blood lymphocytes

International audience; Curcumin has shown a wide range of properties such as anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties. Many of these effects, mainly the anti-carcinogenic effect, could be linked to its anti-oxidant effects. Nevertheless, some studies suggest that this natural compound possesses both pro- and anti-oxidative effects and that curcumin could be a genotoxic agent for some cell lines. We evaluated the genetic damage induced by curcumin to human lymphocytes exposed to increasing concentrations (0-50 μg/ml) of curcumin. Biomarkers such as chromosome aberrations (CAs) and sister chromatid exchange (SCE) were analyzed. In addition to the cytogenetic analysis, the effect of…