Assessment in vitro of radioprotective efficacy of curcumin and resveratrol

Many natural substances have been studied in recent past to be used as radioprotectors to mitigate ionizing radiation-induced damage in mammalian systems due to its effectiveness given both pre- and post-irradiation and for long time with out drug-related toxicity. Curcumin and trans-resveratrol are both natural occurring polyphenols, obtained from the root of Curcuma longa and from grapes and other berries, respectively. These compounds have shown antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunostimulant and anti-carcinogenic properties. Our aim was to evaluate the radioprotective efficacy, in vitro, of curcumin and trans-resveratrol separately against radiation-induced chromosomal aberrations. The study was carried out by the pre-treatment of human blood lymphocytes at concentrations from 0 to 500 μg mL-1 and from 0 to 50 μg mL-1 for curcumin and trans-resveratrol, respectively. The results showed that all concentrations tested reduced radiation-induced chromosomal damage. Maximum damage protection was observed at the concentration of 5 μg mL-1 for curcumin and 0.5 μg mL-1 for trans-resveratrol. Thus, our results show that curcumin and trans-resveratrol pre-treatment significantly protect normal lymphocytes against γ-radiation-induced cellular damage.