In this study, we examined the modulation of apoptosis by curcumin by quantifying the number of apoptotic cells in H&E-stained histological sections of colon tumors using light microscopy (29, 36). Apoptotic cells were identified by cell shrinkage, nuclear condensation, and formation of apoptotic bodies (29, 36). The light microscopic appearance of apoptotic bodies are quite diverse; most are round or roughly oval in shape. Apoptotic bodies vary in size, but they are a little smaller than the parent cells. Some apoptotic cells contain pyknotic chromatin, and some are devoid of a nuclear component (29, 36). The apoptotic index, which represents the percentage of cells exhibiting apoptosis, was determined by counting at least 300 cells in randomly chosen fields. All slides were scored by one person who was blinded to the experimental listing by means of code numbers