Assessing dose-dependent differences in DNA-damage, p53 response and genotoxicity for quercetin and curcumin.

•Curcumin was a more potent inducer of ROS and DNA damage than quercetin.•Both polyphenols activated p53 at concentrations where ROS was induced.•Cellular response favors cell survival with quercetin and apoptosis with curcumin.•Curcumin induced more micronuclei than quercetin at similar levels of DNA damage.