Two-way Efficacy of Alcoholic Turmeric Extract: Stimulatory for Murine Lymphocytes and Inhibitory for Fibrosarcoma Cells

Abstract

The ethanol turmeric extract has been found to be stimulatory for murine lymphocytes and inhibitory for ascitic fibrosarcoma cells which have been investigated on the basis of in vitro viability assay, cell cycle study by fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS), and DNA synthesis by 3H-thymidine incorporation. Viability of lymphocytes is better with turmeric; DNA synthesis increases and the majority of the lymphocytes are driven toward mitotic stage as observed by FACS. Whereas turmeric causes a significant level of death in ascitic fibrosarcoma cells in vitro and possibly causes arrest of the cell cycle at S-phase, it induces programmed cell death.