The chemical compound methyleugenol naturally occurs in culinary herbs such as basil and is ingested by humans through food. In the liver, the substance can be activated by enzymes and cause genetic damage. A research team at the RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau, led by toxicologist Jörg Fahrer, has now elucidated key mechanisms by which cells recognize and repair such damage. The results were published in the renowned scientific journal Cell Death & Disease.