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 curcumin (2, 4 and 8 mg/kg body weight) as a single intraperitoneal injection. In another set, the mice were given 8 mg/kg body weight of turmeric 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 min 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 chemicals was compared using turmeric- or curcuminprimed and non-primed 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 the active chemopreventive principle in turmeric effective against a number of potential carcinogens in several experimental systems, it was virtually ineffective against the clastogenicity of CP or MMC at the doses tested.