Saffron: a natural product with potential pharmaceutical applications

Efficacy of crocin and safranal as protective agents against genotoxic stress induced by gamma radiation, urethane and procarbazine in mice

Crocin (CRO) and safranal (SAF) are bioactive constituents of saffron (dried stigma of Crocus sativus flower), an expensive spice with medicinal properties. Aqueous extract of saffron is known for its antigenotoxic effect against environmental genotoxins/carcinogens. However, there is need to identify saffron constituents responsible for this antigenotoxic effect. The aim of our investigation was to ascertain the role of CRO and SAF as inhibitors of in vivo genotoxic stress. For this purpose, Swiss albino mice were pretreated with CRO (50-mg/kg body weight (bw))/SAF (0.025- and 0.25-ml/kg bw) by gavage for 2 days. Thereafter, the pretreated mice were exposed to the genotoxic agents: (1) gamma radiation (GR; 2 Gy), (2) urethane (URE; 800 mg/kg) and (3) procarbazine (PCB; 60 mg/kg). In addition, CRO (50 mg/kg) was co-administered with the nitrosation reaction mixture of methylurea (MU; 300-mg/kg bw) + sodium nitrite (15 mg/kg) which can form N-nitroso-N-MU in the stomach. Genotoxic damage was measured by performing the bone marrow micronucleus test. Results obtained demonstrated significant reductions in the incidence of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes in the bone marrow of mice pretreated with CRO/SAF before exposure to the above DNA damaging agents, GR, URE and PCB. Co-administration of CRO with the nitrosation reaction mixture led to significant decrease in genotoxicity when compared to nitrosation reaction mixture alone. Histopathological studies revealed that these saffron constituents reduced testicular cell damage induced by the test genotoxins. The cell-free DNA-nicking assay using pBR322 DNA showed significant protective effects of CRO against hydroxyl radical-induced strand breaks.

Protective effects of saffron extract and crocin supplementation on fatty liver tissue of high-fat diet-induced obese rats

Background

Saffron is the dried stigma of Crocus sativus L. flower which commonly used as a natural remedy to enhance health and even fights disease in the Middle-East and Southeast Asian countries.

Methods

This study was aimed to investigate protective effect of saffron extract and crocin in fatty liver tissue of high-fat diet induced obese rats. A total of 36 healthy male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into six groups. Two groups served as controls, a normal diet (ND) and a high-fat diet (HFD). The other four groups were each supplemented with saffron extract and crocin at concentrations of 40 and 80 mg/kg body weight/day for 8 weeks. All groups except ND were fed with HFD until end of the study. At baseline, blood sample was collected for determination of levels of hepatic marker enzymes, including aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatise and albumin. Liver sample was collected, weighed and stained with haematoxylin and eosin for further histopathological examination.

Results

Saffron extract and crocin at concentrations of 40 and 80 mg/kg had dose-dependently alleviated levels of liver enzymes and histopathological changes in diet-induced obese rat model compared to control (HFD group).

Conclusion

This study suggested that saffron extract and crocin supplements have hepatoprotective effect against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and HFD-induced liver damage.

Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) 2016 Clinical Guidelines for the Management of Adults with Major Depressive Disorder: Section 5. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments

BACKGROUND

The Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) conducted a revision of the 2009 guidelines by updating the evidence and recommendations. The scope of the 2016 guidelines remains the management of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults, with a target audience of psychiatrists and other mental health professionals.

METHODS

Using the question-answer format, we conducted a systematic literature search focusing on systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Evidence was graded using CANMAT-defined criteria for level of evidence. Recommendations for lines of treatment were based on the quality of evidence and clinical expert consensus. "Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments" is the fifth of six sections of the 2016 guidelines.

RESULTS

Evidence-informed responses were developed for 12 questions for 2 broad categories of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) interventions: 1) physical and meditative treatments (light therapy, sleep deprivation, exercise, yoga, and acupuncture) and 2) natural health products (St. John's wort, omega-3 fatty acids; S-adenosyl-L-methionine [SAM-e], dehydroepiandrosterone, folate, Crocus sativus, and others). Recommendations were based on available data on efficacy, tolerability, and safety.

CONCLUSIONS

For MDD of mild to moderate severity, exercise, light therapy, St. John's wort, omega-3 fatty acids, SAM-e, and yoga are recommended as first- or second-line treatments. Adjunctive exercise and adjunctive St. John's wort are second-line recommendations for moderate to severe MDD. Other physical treatments and natural health products have less evidence but may be considered as third-line treatments. CAM treatments are generally well tolerated. Caveats include methodological limitations of studies and paucity of data on long-term outcomes and drug interactions.

Sulforaphane produces antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like effects in adult mice

Increasing evidence suggests that depression is accompanied by dysregulation of neuroimmune system. Sulforaphane (SFN) is a natural compound with antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective activities. The present study aims to investigate the effects of SFN on depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors as well as potential neuroimmune mechanisms in mice. Repeated SFN administration (10mg/kg, i.p.) significantly decreased the immobility time in the forced swimming test (FST), tail suspension test (TST), and latency time to feeding in the novelty suppressed feeding test (NSF), and increased the time in the central zone in the open field test (OPT). Using the chronic mild stress (CMS) paradigm, we confirmed that repeated SFN (10mg/kg, i.p.) administration significantly increased sucrose preference in the sucrose preference test (SPT), and immobility time in the FST and TST of mice subjected to CMS. Also, SFN treatment significantly reversed anxiety-like behaviors (assessed by the OPT and NSF) of chronically stressed mice. Finally, ELISA analysis showed that SFN administration blocked the increase in the serum levels of corticosterone (CORT), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in chronically stressed mice. In summary, these findings demonstrated that SFN has antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like activities in stressed mice model of depression, which likely occurs by inhibiting the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and inflammatory response to stress. These data support further exploration for developing SFN as a novel agent to treat depression and anxiety disorders.