PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Crocus”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

Inhibition of human platelet aggregation and membrane lipid peroxidation by food spice, saffron.

The inhibitory activity of saffron extract was studied on human platelets. Platelet aggregation and lipid peroxidation were evaluated with platelet rich plasma (PRP) and platelet membranes respectively obtained from blood of healthy human volunteers. Human platelets were subjected to stimulation with a variety of agonists like ADP (61 microM), epinephrine (76 microM), collagen (11 microg/ml), calcium ionophore A 23187 (6 microM) and ristocetin (1.25 microg/ml) in the presence and absence of saffron extract with IC50 being 0.66, 0.35, 0.86 and 0.59 mg respectively and no inhibition with ristocetin. The inhibitory effect was dose dependent with concentrations varying between 0.16 to 0.80 mg and time dependent at IC50. A significant decrease was observed in malondialdehyde (MDA) formed, one of the end products of arachidonic acid metabolism and of serotonin released from dense granules of platelets at respective IC50. Lipid peroxidation in platelet membranes induced by iron-ascorbic acid system was inhibited by saffron extract significantly with IC50 of 0.33 mg. Hence, it may be said that aqueous extract of saffron may have component(s), which protect platelets from aggregation and lipid peroxidation.

Blood Platelets↗
PubMed2004

Auto- and allo-confrontation as tools for reflective activities.

This paper presents a methodology of assistance to reflective activity, based on confronting participants with the video recording of their own activity or that of others. A typology of the various forms of use of confrontation is proposed and illustrated from a study based on the construction of technical procedures. Two categories of results are highlighted. On the one hand, individual auto-confrontation (confronting participants with their own activity) reveals the cognitive processes underlying the activity. On the other hand, individual allo-confrontation (confronting participants with an activity they practice but which is performed by someone else, without the latter being present) allows participants to develop their knowledge by getting aware of other types of representations.

Crocus↗
PubMed2005

Use of non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis for the quality control of commercial saffron samples.

A non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE) method for quantifying the seven crocin metabolites that are the major biologically active ingredients of saffron was developed. Separation is done by using a fused silica capillary filled with a 12.5 mM H3BO3/37.5 mM sodium tetraborate methanolic solution as background electrolyte. The results obtained were compared with the total index "safranal value", widely used as a quality measure of saffron products. The comparison revealed that the proposed NACE method provides useful information not obtained in the safranal value. Infact, samples with a similar safranal value can contain crocin metabolites in different concentrations and relative proportions. This new method is very useful for quality control in commercial saffron samples.

Carotenoids↗
PubMed2005

The effect of carotenoids obtained from saffron on histone H1 structure and H1-DNA interaction.

It is already known that transcriptional activation of genes occurs due to the H1 dissociation from linker DNA; hence, histone H1-DNA complex is considered as a model of chromatin. Anticancer property of saffron and its carotenoids has already been reported. The present study aimed at investigating the effect of saffron carotenoids on H1 structure and H1-DNA interaction as a possible mechanism of their anticarcinogenic action. After purification of the saffron carotenoids (crocin, crocetin and dimethylcrocetin), their interaction with histone H1 was studied using spectrophotometry and spectrofluorometry. Some changes on the absorption spectra of H1 indicated the complex formation between this protein and saffron carotenoids. Also, the fluorescence emission of H1 was quenched by the mentioned ligands. The binding parameters of all the three ligands were obtained through Schatchard analysis of the quenching data. Then, the effect of each ligand on the H1-DNA interaction was studied. The results showed a shift in the precipitation curve to the left in the presence of the mentioned carotenoids, which is due to the reduction in the interaction of H1 with DNA. These observations led to the suggesting a mechanism in which the H1 depletion may promote transcription.

Carotenoids↗
PubMed2006

Beneficial impact of crocetin, a carotenoid from saffron, on insulin sensitivity in fructose-fed rats.

Crocetin, a unique carotenoid with potent antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities, is a major ingredient of saffron which is used as an important spice and food colorant in various parts of the world. In the present study, the effect of crocetin on insulin resistance and its related abnormalities induced by high-fructose diet were investigated in male Wistar rats. Compared to the control rats fed on normal laboratory diet, fructose-fed rats developed a series of pathological changes including insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, dyslipidemia and hypertension. Although having no evident effect on the body weight, fructose feeding caused a marked increase in the weight of epididymal white adipose tissue. Furthermore, a significant reduction in the expression of both protein and mRNA of adiponectin (an insulin-sensitizing adipocytokine) was observed, whereas those of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and leptin were enhanced in epididymal white adipose tissue in fructose-fed rats. These disorders were effectively normalized in crocetin-treated rats. Crocetin was also demonstrated here to alleviate free fatty acid (FFA)-induced insulin insensitivity and dysregulated mRNA expression of adiponectin, TNF-alpha and leptin in primary cultured rat adipocytes. These findings suggest the possibility of crocetin treatment as a preventive strategy of insulin resistance and related diseases. The favorable impact on adiponectin, TNF-alpha and leptin expression in white adipose tissue may be involved in the improvement of insulin sensitivity observed in crocetin-treated rats.

Adipocytes↗
PubMed2007

Pharmacokinetic properties of crocin (crocetin digentiobiose ester) following oral administration in rats.

This study investigated the pharmacokinetic properties of crocin following oral administration in rats. After a single oral dose, crocin was undetected while crocetin, a metabolite of crocin, was found in plasma at low concentrations. Simultaneously, crocin was largely present in feces and intestinal contents within 24h. After repeated oral doses for 6 days, crocin remained undetected in plasma and plasma crocetin concentrations were comparable to the corresponding data obtained after the single oral dose. Furthermore, the absorption characteristics of crocin were evaluated in situ using an intestinal recirculation perfusion method. During recirculation, crocin was undetected and low concentrations of crocetin were detected in plasma. The concentrations of crocin in the perfusate were reduced through different intestinal segments, and the quantities of drug lost were greater throughout the colon. These results indicate that (1) orally administered crocin is not absorbed either after a single dose or repeated doses, (2) crocin is excreted largely through the intestinal tract following oral administration, (3) plasma crocetin concentrations do not tend to accumulate with repeated oral doses of crocin, and (4) the intestinal tract serves as an important site for crocin hydrolysis.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2004

Qualitative determination of volatile compounds and quantitative evaluation of safranal and 4-hydroxy-2,6,6-trimethyl-1-cyclohexene-1-carboxaldehyde (HTCC) in Greek saffron.

Safranal (2,6,6-trimethyl-1,3-cyclohexadiene-1-carboxaldehyde) is the main component of saffron's essential oil. It was obtained using microsimultaneous hydro distillation-extraction (MSDE) and by ultrasound-assisted extraction (USE), which is a mild method. 4-Hydroxy-2,6,6-trimethyl-1-cyclohexene-1-carboxaldehyde (HTCC) is a precursor of safranal and was obtained in considerable amounts only by USE. Five C(13)-norisoprenoids were found in saffron for the first time. Using a gas chromatography technique, safranal and HTCC were quantified from Greek saffron samples. The quantity of safranal isolated by MSDE ranged between 288.1 and 687.9 mg/100 g of saffron, whereas in the case of USE safranal and HTCC ranged between 40.7 and 647.7 mg/100 g of saffron and between 41.7 and 397.7 mg/100 g of saffron, respectively. Freeze-drying was also tested as an alternative drying method. Over years of storage at 4 degrees C the quantity of safranal remained mostly constant while the quantity of HTCC decreased over the same periods.

Chromatography, Gas↗
PubMed2005

Near-infrared spectroscopy in saffron quality control: determination of chemical composition and geographical origin.

Near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy has been applied for the first time to saffron spice to determine the chemical composition and geographical origin of 111 samples from the there main producers' countries: Iran, Greece, and Spain. The validation procedures with the results obtained by UV-vis and HPLC-DAD measurements demonstrated that this technique is appropriate to determine the following parameters: moisture and volatile content, coloring strength, (250 nm), and (330 nm), established on the ISO 3632 Technical Specification Normative and used to certify saffron quality in the international market. Also, it can be used to estimate the content of the five main crocetin glycosides, the compounds responsible for saffron color, the best correlations being for trans-crocetin di-(beta-D-gentibiosyl) ester (R2= 0.93), trans-crocetin (beta-D-glucosyl)-(beta-D-gentibiosyl) (R2= 0.94), and picrocrocin (R2= 0.92), the compound accepted as responsible for saffron bitterness. Finally, a discriminant analysis among the three geographical origins reveals that Iranian samples are the most different, whereas Greek and Spanish samples are more similar. All of these results reveal that NIRS spectroscopy has an enormous potential for its application to saffron quality control as the results are obtained in 2 min and without any sample manipulation.

Carotenoids↗
PubMed2006

Crocin bleaching assay step by step: observations and suggestions for an alternative validated protocol.

Examination of the crocin bleaching assay performance and in-house validation were focused on probe and test compound characteristics, conditions for peroxyl radical generation, reaction monitoring, and expression of results. HPLC and spectrometric examination showed that any authentic commercial saffron (origin, grade) can be used for probe preparation given that (a) interferences, such as tocopherols, are removed, (b) working solution concentration is adequately adjusted, and (c) stock probe solution changes during storage are not neglected. As suggested by log P values, calculated for a great number of radical scavengers (AHs), any AH more polar than Trolox (common reference compound) can be tested in the aqueous environment of the assay. AH activities order obeyed principles of structure-activity relationships. The assay was robust toward preheating of the azo-initiator (2,2'-azobis(2-aminopropane) dihydrochloride). Reaction monitoring through periodic UV-vis spectra recording was very informative. An alternative expression of results as "percent inhibition of crocin bleaching value", % Inh = [(DeltaA(0) - DeltaA)/DeltaA(0))] x 100, is proposed for [AH]/[crocin] = 1, instead of the so far used k(rel) values. The above findings also lead to analysis cost and time reduction.

Carotenoids↗
PubMed2006

Generation of saffron volatiles by thermal carotenoid degradation.

Generation of volatiles by thermal treatments has been studied in saffron spice for two reasons: (a) to determine volatile profile changes during simulated aging processes and (b) to study the volatile generation pathway. During the aging process, while the amounts of C10 compounds such as safranal and HTCC increase, the amounts of C9 compounds such as isophorone and 2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexane-1,4-dione decrease. A new compound tentatively identified as 4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-7,7-dimethyl-5-oxo-3H-isobenzofuranone seems to play a very important role in the aging process. The importance of this compound, structurally similar to dihydroactindiolide, was also confirmed when the saffron volatile fraction was analyzed via the degradation of the linear chain of crocetin and crocetin esters and is reported for the first time in this paper. Thermal degradation studies of zeaxanthin, crocetin, and trans and cis crocetin esters isomers allowed us to propose different mechanisms which explain saffron volatile generation depending on the crocetin ester isomer structure.

Carotenoids↗
PubMed2005

Screening method for the detection of artificial colours in saffron using derivative UV-Vis spectrometry after precipitation of crocetin.

A screening method for the detection of artificial colours (naphthol yellow, tartrazine, quinoline yellow, Sunset yellow, Allura red, amaranth, azorubine, Ponceau 4R and Red 2G) in saffron is described. The method involves removal of crocins by precipitation of crocetin (pH 0.1, 90 degrees C) before adsorption of the artificial colours on polyamide SPE cartridges (pH 2). After washing with methanol, acetone and methanol, elution was done with a methanol:ammonia solution (95:5 v/v), and detection was performed by derivative spectrometry. Sample pretreatment changes the UV-Vis saffron extract profile in such a way that second derivative spectra can be used to identify the presence of added colours. Erythrosine, which was found to be pH dependent, could not be detected under the above conditions. The lowest detectable amount for each colour was strongly dependent on chemical structure. The recovery of carminic acid was very low possibly due to irreversible retention on the polyamide. This procedure can replace the current ISO TLC method (2003) and be used alternatively or in combination with HPLC procedures adopted in the same standard.

Antioxidants↗
PubMed2005

Pharmacological properties of N-095, a drug containing red ginseng, polygala root, saffron, antelope horn and aloe wood.

This study sought to establish a pharmacological profile for N-095, a crude drug containing red ginseng, polygala root, saffron, antelope horn and aloe wood. Our studies on rats and mice revealed a number of pharmacological properties of this novel drug. N-095 increased the forced swimming time in mice and prevented gastric ulcers in rats under restraint and water immersion stress conditions at 100 mg/kg or higher. It also prevented footpad swelling in rats treated with lambda-carrageenin and histamine-induced gastric ulcers in rats at 300 mg/kg or higher. Furthermore, N-095 augmented the sedative effect in mice induced by hexobarbital, which is characterized by a decreased spontaneous motor activity and a prolongation of sleeping time. N-095 also stimulated spontaneous contractility of the uterus in rats at 1000 mg/kg and 2000 mg/kg and prevented hemolysis of erythrocytes by heating. In contrast, N-095 had no effect on the respiratory or cardiovascular system or on water and electrolyte regulation in rats or mice. These results show that N-095 is a relatively safe drug for use as a nutrient or tonic.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Protective effect of crocin against blue light- and white light-mediated photoreceptor cell death in bovine and primate retinal primary cell culture.

PURPOSE: The present study was performed to investigate the effect of crocin on blue light- and white light-induced rod and cone death in primary retinal cell cultures. METHODS: Primary retinal cell cultures were prepared from primate and bovine retinas. Fifteen-day-old cultures were exposed to blue actinic light or to white fluorescent light for 24 hours. Cultures were treated by the addition of different concentrations of crocin for 24 hours before light exposure or for 8 hours after light exposure. Cultures kept in the dark were used as controls. Green nucleic acid stain assay was used to evaluate cell death. Rods and cones were immunolabeled with specific antibodies and counted. TUNEL labeling was used to detect fragmented DNA in fixed cells after light exposure. RESULTS: Primary retinal cell cultures contained a mixture of retinal cells enriched in photoreceptors, bipolar cells, and Müller cells. Twenty-four-hour exposure to blue and white light induced death in 70% to 80% of the photoreceptors in bovine and primate retinal cell cultures. Crocin protected the photoreceptors against blue light- or white light-mediated damage in a concentration-dependent manner with an EC50 of approximately 30 microM. TUNEL assays confirmed that crocin protected photoreceptors from light damage. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that blue and white light selectively induce rod and cone cell death in an in vitro model. Crocin protects retinal photoreceptors against light-induced cell death.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

[Pharmacokinetics of crocetin in rats].

AIM: To develop an HPLC method for the determination of crocetin in rat plasma and study the pharmacokinetics in rats. METHODS: Hypersil C18 column (5 microns, 4.6 mm x 200 mm) was used at column temperature 30 degrees C. The mobile phase consisted of methanol-water-acetic acid (75:24.5:0.5) at the flow rate of 1.0 mL.min-1. The UV detection wave length was 423 nm. RESULTS: The calibration curve was linear (gamma = 0.9996) in the range from 0.49 microgram.mL-1 to 7.87 micrograms.mL-1 for crocetin. The mean recovery was 105.2%. The lowest detectable concentration of crocetin was 0.14 microgram.mL-1 (S/N = 3). The RSDs of within-day and between-day were all less than 5%. The plasma crocetin was steady. The HPLC method of determination of crocetin in the plasma was established. After single dose of 50 mg.kg-1 ig in 10 rats, the main pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated as follows: T1/2 alpha (30 +/- 6) min, Tmax(65 +/- 16) min, Cmax(5.0 +/- 1.0) microgram.mL-1, AUC0-T(845 +/- 109) microgram.min.mL-1, Vd(5.0 +/- 0.8) L.kg-1. Crocetin was shown to be absorbed into the blood through the gastrointestinal tract. CONCLUSION: This method is quick, precise and reliable. Crocetin was shown to be quickly absorbed in rats.

Animals↗