Curcumin supplementation protects from genotoxic effects of arsenic and fluoride

• Published in: Food and chemical toxicology Vol. 48; no. 5; pp. 1234 - 1238
• Main Authors: Tiwari, Hemlata, Rao, Mandava V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Aberration; Adult; Aneuploidy; Antimutagenic Agents - pharmacology; antioxidant activity; antioxidants; Antioxidants - pharmacology; Arsenic; Arsenicals; Biological and medical sciences; Blood; Carcinogenesis, carcinogens and anticarcinogens; Cells, Cultured; Chemical agents; Chemical and industrial products toxicology. Toxic occupational diseases; Chromosomal aberrations; Chromosome Aberrations - chemically induced; Chromosome Breakage - drug effects; Comet Assay; Culture; Curcuma longa; Curcumin; Curcumin - pharmacology; Damage; Deoxyribonucleic acid; dietary supplements; diferuloylmethane; DNA damage; DNA Damage - drug effects; Fluoride; Fluorides; functional foods; Genotoxicity; Humans; in vitro studies; Lymphocytes - drug effects; Medical sciences; Metals and various inorganic compounds; Oxides - toxicity; Phytohemagglutinins - pharmacology; Sodium Fluoride - toxicity; Toxicology; traditional medicine; Tumors; turmeric; Young Adult; GSH-Px; Arsenic; DMSO; F; SOD; PBLC; Comet assay; As; NOS; Fluoride; Chromosomal aberrations; DDW; ROS; Curcumin; CA; Chromosomal aberration; Tyrosine kinase inhibitor; Toxicity; Genotoxicity; Fluorides; Prevention; Carcinogen; Polyphenol; Phenols; Supplementation
• ISSN: 0278-6915; 1873-6351
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2010.02.015

The present study was aimed to evaluate curcumin as a potential natural antioxidant to mitigate the genotoxic effects of arsenic (As) and fluoride (F) in human peripheral blood lymphocytes. The study was divided into nine groups consisting of negative control, positive control treated with ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS; 1.93 mM) and curcumin control with only curcumin (1.7 μM) in blood culture. As (1.4 μM) and F (34 μM) were added alone as well as in combination, to the cultures, with and without curcumin. Cultures were analysed for chromosomal aberrations (both structural and numerical) and primary DNA damage via comet assay as the genotoxic parameters after an exposure duration of 24 h. Results revealed that curcumin efficiently ameliorates the toxic effect of As and F by reducing the frequency of structural aberrations (>60%), hypoploidy (>50%) and primary DNA damage. In conclusion, curcumin mitigates the genotoxic effects of the two well known water contaminants (As and F) effectively and efficiently at the given concentration in vitro.