Abstract
Saffron (Crocus sativus) is an extensively used food additive for its color and taste. Since ancient times this plant has been introduced as a marvelous medicine throughout the world. The wide spectrum of saffron pharmacological activities is related to its major constituents including crocin, crocetin and safranal. Based on several studies, saffron and its active ingredients have been used as an antioxidant, antiinflammatory and antinociceptive, antidepressant, antitussive, anticonvulsant, memory enhancer, hypotensive and anticancer. According to the literatures, saffron has remarkable therapeutic effects. The protective effects of saffron and its main constituents in different tissues including brain, heart, liver, kidney and lung have been reported against some toxic materials either natural or chemical toxins in animal studies.In this review article, we have summarized different in vitro and animal studies in scientific databases which investigate the antidotal and protective effects of saffron and its major components against natural toxins and chemical-induced toxicities. Due to the lake of human studies, further investigations are required to ascertain the efficacy of saffron as an antidote or a protective agent in human intoxication.
Highlights
Crocus sativus L., is a perennial herb which belongs to the Iridaceae family and is cultivated in Azerbaijan, France, Greece, India, Iran, Italy, Spain, China, Morocco, Turkey, Egypt, and Mexico [1]
Among which three main components of saffron are responsible for its pharmacological effects including: crocins, the principle coloring agent [4], the glycoside picrocrocin which is a precursor of safranal and responsible for its bitter taste and safranal, a monoterpen aldehyde which is the deglycosylated form of picrocrocin and is responsible for the characteristic aroma of saffron [5,6]
In this review article, the different in vitro and animal studies summarized in order to discover the efficacy of saffron and its active constituents in protection against toxicities induced by natural or chemical toxins in different tissues
Summary
Crocus sativus L., is a perennial herb which belongs to the Iridaceae family and is cultivated in Azerbaijan, France, Greece, India, Iran, Italy, Spain, China, Morocco, Turkey, Egypt, and Mexico [1]. The dried stigma of the C. sativus, has been extensively used as a spice and food colorant because of its color and taste [2]. Among which three main components of saffron are responsible for its pharmacological effects including: crocins, the principle coloring agent (mono and diglycosyl esters of a polyene dicarboxylic acid, named crocetin) [4], the glycoside picrocrocin which is a precursor of safranal and responsible for its bitter taste and safranal, a monoterpen aldehyde which is the deglycosylated form of picrocrocin and is responsible for the characteristic aroma of saffron [5,6]. According to the literature, the protective effects of saffron as well as its active components in different tissues including brain [32], heart [33], liver [34], kidney [35], lung [36] and etc have been reported against some toxic materials
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