Acrylamide (AA), a proven rodent carcinogen, has recently been discovered in foods heated at high temperatures. This finding raises public health concerns. In our previous study, we found that AA caused DNA fragments and increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and induced genotoxicity and weak cytotoxicity in HepG2 cells. Presently, curcumin, a natural antioxidant compound present in turmeric was evaluated for its protective effects. The results showed that curcumin at the concentration of 2.5 microg/mL significantly reduced AA-induced ROS production, DNA fragments, micronuclei formation, and cytotoxicity in HepG2 cells. The effect of PEG-catalase on protecting against AA-induced cytotoxicity suggests that AA-induced cytotoxicity is directly dependent on hydrogen peroxide production. These data suggest that curcumin could attenuate the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity induced by AA in HepG2 cells. The protection is probably mediated by an antioxidant protective mechanism. Consumption of curcumin may be a plausible way to prevent AA-mediated genotoxicity.
