Pharmacological Potential and Chemical Composition of Crocus sativus Leaf Extracts.

Olha Mykhailenko,Vilma Petrikaite,Fang-Rong Chang,Bing-Hung Chen,Chung-Fan Hsieh,Victoriya Georgiyants,Mohamed El-Shazly,Liudas Ivanauskas,Tsong-Long Hwang,Dmytro Lytkin,Ivan Bezruk,Chia-Hung Yen,Michal Korinek

doi:10.3390/molecules27010010

Abstract

Crocus sativus L. (saffron) has been traditionally used as a food coloring or flavoring agent, but recent research has shown its potent pharmacological activity to tackle several health-related conditions. Crocus sp. leaves, and petals are the by-products of saffron production and are not usually used in the medicine or food industries. The present study was designed to determine the chemical composition of the water and ethanolic extracts of C. sativus leaves and test their cytotoxic activity against melanoma (IGR39) and triple-negative breast cancer (MDA-MB-231) cell lines by MTT assay. We also determined their anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral activities. HPLC fingerprint analysis showed the presence of 16 compounds, including hydroxycinnamic acids, xanthones, flavonoids, and isoflavonoids, which could contribute to the extracts’ biological activities. For the first time, compounds such as tectoridin, iristectorigenin B, nigricin, and irigenin were identified in Crocus leaf extracts. The results showed that mangiferin (up to 2 mg/g dry weight) and isoorientin (8.5 mg/g dry weight) were the major active ingredients in the leaf extracts. The ethanolic extract reduced the viability of IGR39 and MDA-MB-231 cancer cells with EC50 = 410 ± 100 and 330 ± 40 µg/mL, respectively. It was more active than the aqueous extract. Kaempferol and quercetin were identified as the most active compounds. Our results showed that Crocus leaves contain secondary metabolites with potent cytotoxic and antioxidant activities.

Highlights

Cancer, one of the most devastating and complex diseases, is tackled by several techniques, including radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy
C. sativus leaves were collected from the plantation in Lyubimivka village (Ukraine) in November 2019
The current study investigated the in vitro cytotoxic and antioxidant activity of

Summary

Introduction

One of the most devastating and complex diseases, is tackled by several techniques, including radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy. The toxicity and resistance of synthetic chemotherapeutic drugs have prompted scientists to search for natural chemotherapeutic agents obtained from plants and marine organisms. About 35,000 plant species were tested by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for their potential anti-tumor activity, and among them, about 3000 plant species showed reproducible anti-tumor activity [2]. In addition to their potent anticancer effect, natural chemotherapeutics agents serve as drug leads for the vast majority of synthetic chemotherapeutic agents [2]. The interesting therapeutic properties of natural chemotherapeutic agents have encouraged scientists to search for more natural cytotoxic drugs from medicinal or edible plants. Among the edible plants that attracted attention in the last few decades is Crocus sativus (saffron)

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