Alcoholic turmeric extract simultaneously activating murine lymphocytes and inducing apoptosis of Ehlrich ascitic carcinoma cells

In the present investigation ethanolic turmeric extract has been found to play diabolically opposite role on murine lymphocytes and on Ehlrich ascitic carcinoma cells. Turmeric stimulates the lymphocytes into the effector pathway as studied through in vitro viability, blastogenesis and 3H-TdR incorporation and also seems to be healthy under scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM revealed the formation of cytoplasmic blebs and plasma membrane disintegration of tumor cells with ethanolic turmeric extract treatment, suggesting turmeric to be initiating apoptosis of tumor cells. Thus, in the present work viability of the cells, blastogenesis, DNA synthesis and SEM study establish the fact that turmeric is a conducive agent for lymphocytes and inhibitory as well as apoptotic for tumor cells.