Crocin, a component of saffron spice, is known to have an anticancer activity. However, the targets of crocin are not known. In this study, crocin was found to inhibit the proliferation of HCC70, HCC1806, HeLa and CCD1059sk cells by targeting microtubules. Crocin depolymerized both the interphase and mitotic microtubules of different cancer cells, inhibited mitosis and induced multipolar spindl...

Antidepressant activity of crocin, saffron main component, has been established before. Based on previous study, it is suggested that elevation in the levels of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), CREB (cAMP response element binding) and VGF neuropeptide could be considered as one probable molecular mechanisms involved in antidepressant activity of long term crocin administration in the r...

Intervertebral disc degenerative diseases have become a serious social health problem. However, there is no clinical treatment effectively retarding the progression of intervertebral disc degeneration. Crocin, which is extracted from saffron, has been proved to exert anti-inflammatory and anti-catabolic effects on intervertebral disc in vitro and ex vivo. In the present study, effects of crocin...

Oxidative stress damage to retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells is thought to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Crocin, a pharmacologically active component of Crocus sativus L., was reported to have anti-antioxidant and anti-apoptotic properties. However, whether crocin protects against oxidative stress-induced retinal damage in RPE cells is ...

Objectives The objectives of the current study were to evaluate the effects of hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury on the activity of antioxidant enzymes, biochemical factors, and histopathological changes in rat kidney, and to investigate the effect of crocin on IR-related changes. Materials and Methods Thirty-two male Wistar rats were randomly allocated into four groups (n=8). They wer...

BACKGROUND Crocin, a carotenoid isolated from Crocus sativus L. (saffron), is a pharmacologically active component of saffron. Nicotine consumption can decrease fertility in males through induction of oxidative stress and DNA damage. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of crocin on reproductive parameter damages in male mice exposed to nicotine. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this exp...

Crocin is a water-soluble carotenoid pigment that is primarily used in various cuisines as a seasoning and coloring agent, as well as in traditional medicines for the treatment of edema, fever, and hepatic disorder. In this study, we demonstrated that crocin markedly induces the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) which leads to an anti-inflammatory response. Crocin inhibited inducible nitric...

The present study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of crocin on gastric mucosal lesions caused by ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats. Forty male rats were randomly divided into sham, control (I/R injury) and three crocin-pretreated groups. To induce I/R lesions, the celiac artery was clamped for 30 min and then the clamp was removed to allow reperfusion for 3 h. Pretreated-rats re...

OBJECTIVE(S) Crocin, as the main carotenoid of saffron, has shown anti-tumor activity both in vitro and in vivo. Crocin might interact with cellular proteins and modulate their functions, but the exact target of this carotenoid and the other compounds of the saffron have not been discovered yet. Microtubular proteins, as one of the most important proteins inside the cells, have several function...

The current study investigates the inhibitory effect of crocin(s), also known as saffron apocarotenoids, on protein glycation and aggregation in diabetic rats, and α-crystallin glycation. Thus, crocin(s) were administered by intraperitoneal injection to normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The cataract progression was recorded regularly every two weeks and was classified into four s...