title: Cytometric analysis on cytotoxicity of curcumin on rat thymocytes: Proapoptotic and antiapoptotic actions of curcumin.
abstract: Curcumin exhibits various pharmacological actions including anti-inflammatory, anti-infectious, and anticancer actions. Furthermore, the supplements containing curcumin are supplied for persons consuming alcoholic beverage. A primary criterion for an ingredient ingested by general population is that it exerts no harmful effect. In this study, we examined the effect of curcumin on rat thymocytes to see if curcumin exerts cytotoxicity on normal cells. The incubation with 10 μM curcumin for 24h increased the population of dead cells while it was not the case for 5 μM or less. Curcumin at 5-10 μM increased the populations of shrunken cells and the cells positive to annexin V, phenomena for early stage of apoptosis. However, the incubation with 10 μM curcumin suppressed the increase in population of cells with hypodiploid DNA, a phenomenon for late stage of apoptosis. Thus, curcumin at 10 μM may show both proapoptotic and antiapoptotic actions. The simultaneous incubation with 5 μM, but not 3 μM, curcumin and 0.5% ethanol increased the population of shrunken cells. It is likely that curcumin at 5 μM or more exerts cytotoxic action on normal cells although many studies show some anticancer actions of curcumin at 10 μM or more on cancer cells.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cellular Signaling, Faculty of Integrated Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokushima, Tokushima 770-8502, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koizumi
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawanai
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kanbara
authors.forename: Toshiya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Masuda
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kanemaru
authors.forename: Yoshiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okano
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Oyama
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017304:Annexin A5 / Q000378:metabolism; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D003474:Curcumin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017304:Annexin A5; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D003474:Curcumin