• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.545-551
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• 2017

Curcuma longa L. (CL) is widely used as a spice and coloring agent in several foods, such as curry and mustard, as well as cosmetics and drugs. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of CL extracted with various solvents [methanol (MC), ethanol (EC), acetone (AC)] on $H_2O_2-induced$ DNA damage in human leukocytes along with total polyphenol contents (TPC) and antioxidant properties. The antioxidant effects of CL were determined by measuring 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity (RSA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity. The preventive effect of CL on oxidative stress-induced DNA damage and DNA repair capacities were assessed using comet assay. MC showed the highest TPC (11.17 g gallic acid equivalents/100 g) and antioxidant properties among the solvent extracts. The $SC_{50}$ for DPPH RSA was MC: 35.0 > AC: 45.8 > EC: $57.8{\mu}g/mL$ and SOD-like activity was MC: 46.6 > EC: 141.5 > AC: $296.4{\mu}g/mL$. In the comet assay, the $ED_{50}$ value of MC showed the highest inhibition ($86.7{\mu}g/mL$) of $H_2O_2-induced$ DNA damage, followed by AC ($110.0{\mu}g/mL$) > EC ($115.8{\mu}g/mL$). Analysis of the percentage of damaged cells showed that repair capacity significantly decreased at 4, 8, and 12 h from $H_2O_2-induced$ oxidative stress in each extract. After 12 h, level of DNA damage recovery was similar to the negative control level. These results suggest that CL has potential antioxidant activity and a protective effect against oxidation-induced DNA damage, and the methanol extract of CL was the most effective.