Saffron and its constituents: new pharmacological findings

Abstract

Crocus sativus L. commonly known as saffron is a perennial stemless herb of the Iridaceae family and widely cultivated in Iran. Commercial saffron comprises the dried red stigma. Compounds considered pharmacologically active and important in saffron are volatile agents (e.g. safranal), bitter principles (e.g. picrocrocin) and dye materials (e.g. crocetin and its glycoside, crocin). In this review, new pharmacological effects of saffron and its constituents on topic such as some new clinical trials on saffron, effect on sexual activity, genoprotective effect, and prevention of cerebral, renal and skeletal muscle ischemia will be discussed. Saffron tablets (200–400mg) changed some hematological and biochemical parameters. However, these alterations were in normal ranges and they were not important clinically. Saffron (200mg) showed a positive effect on sexual function with increased number and duration of erectile events seen in patients with erectile dysfunction after taking it for ten days (P<0.001). The aqueous extract of C. sativus stigmas and its constituents, crocin and safranal repressed the genotoxic potency of methyl methane sulfonate (MMS)-induced DNA damage in multiple mice organs (liver, lung, kidney and spleen), using comet assay. Saffron extract and its constituents showed some protective effects on different markers of oxidative damage in hippocampal tissue from ischemic rats and against lower limb ischemia-reperfusion in rats.