Crocetin promotes angiogenesis in human endothelial cells through PI3K-Akt-eNOS signaling pathway

Exploring the therapeutic efficacy of crocetin in oncology: an evidence-based review

With cancer being a leading cause of death globally, there is an urgent need to improve therapeutic strategies and identify effective chemotherapeutics. This study aims to highlight the potential of crocetin, a natural product derived from certain plants, as an anticancer agent. It was  conducted an extensive review of the existing literature to gather and analyze the most recent data on the chemical properties of crocetin and its observed effects in various in vitro and in vivo studies. The study  particularly focused on studies that examined crocetin's impact on cell cycle dynamics, apoptosis, caspases and antioxidant enzyme levels, tumor angiogenesis, inflammation, and overall tumor growth. Crocetin exhibited diverse anti-tumorigenic activities including inhibition of tumor cell proliferation, apoptosis induction, angiogenesis suppression, and potentiation of chemotherapy. Multiple cellular and molecular pathways such as the PI3K/Akt, MAPK and NF-κB were modulated by it. Crocetin demonstrates promising anti-cancer properties and offers potential as an adjunctive or alternative therapy in oncology. More large-scale, rigorously designed clinical trials are needed to establish therapeutic protocols and ascertain the comprehensive benefits and safety profile of crocetin in diverse cancer types.

Crocetin: A Systematic Review

Crocetin is an aglycone of crocin naturally occurring in saffron and produced in biological systems by hydrolysis of crocin as a bioactive metabolite. It is known to exist in several medicinal plants, the desiccative ripe fruit of the cape jasmine belonging to the Rubiaceae family, and stigmas of the saffron plant of the Iridaceae family. According to modern pharmacological investigations, crocetin possesses cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, antidepressant, antiviral, anticancer, atherosclerotic, antidiabetic, and memory-enhancing properties. Although poor bioavailability hinders therapeutic applications, derivatization and formulation preparation technologies have broadened the application prospects for crocetin. To promote the research and development of crocetin, we summarized the distribution, preparation and production, total synthesis and derivatization technology, pharmacological activity, pharmacokinetics, drug safety, drug formulations, and preparation of crocetin.

Crocetin and Its Glycoside Crocin, Two Bioactive Constituents From Crocus sativus L. (Saffron), Differentially Inhibit Angiogenesis by Inhibiting Endothelial Cytoskeleton Organization and Cell Migration Through VEGFR2/SRC/FAK and VEGFR2/MEK/ERK Signaling Pathways

Crocetin and crocin are two important carotenoids isolated from saffron (Crocus sativus L.), which have been used as natural biomedicines with beneficial effects for improving the suboptimal health status associated with abnormal angiogenesis. However, the anti-angiogenic effects and underlying mechanisms of the effects of crocetin and crocin have not been investigated and compared. The anti-angiogenic effects of crocetin and crocin were tested on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro, and in zebrafish in vivo. In vivo, crocetin (20 μM) and crocin (50 and 100 μM) significantly inhibited subintestinal vein vessels formation, and a conversion process between them existed in zebrafish, resulting in a difference in their effective concentrations. In the HUVEC model, crocetin (10, 20 and 40 μM) and crocin (100, 200 and 400 μM) inhibited cell migration and tube formation, and inhibited the phosphorylation of VEGFR2 and its downstream pathway molecules. In silico analysis further showed that crocetin had a higher ability to bind with VEGFR2 than crocin. These results suggested that crocetin was more effective than crocin in inhibiting angiogenesis through regulation of the VEGF/VEGFR2 signaling pathway. These compounds, especially crocetin, are potential candidate natural biomedicines for the management of diseases associated with abnormal blood vessel growth, such as age-related macular degeneration.

Downregulation of hsa_circ_0004543 Activates oxLDL-Induced Vascular Endothelial Cell Proliferation and Angiogenesis

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are novel non-coding RNAs, which show abnormal expression in several diseases, such as atherosclerosis (AS). The purpose of the present study was to reveal the association between hsa_circ_0004543 and AS. In the present study, hsa_circ_0004543 was overexpressed in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) induced by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL). Inhibition of hsa_circ_0004543 expression facilitated the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HUVECs and significantly reduced their apoptotic rate following treatment with oxLDL. Furthermore, silencing of hsa_circ_0004543 activated the PI3K/AKT/NOS3 pathway in oxLDL-induced HUVECs. Collectively, these results demonstrated that hsa_circ_0004543 may play a vital role in the development of AS and affect the proliferation of HUVECs, providing a potential target for treating endothelial cell damage in AS.

Crocetin Mitigates Irradiation Injury in an In Vitro Model of the Pubertal Testis: Focus on Biological Effects and Molecular Mechanisms

Infertility is a potential side effect of radiotherapy and significantly affects the quality of life for adolescent cancer survivors. Very few studies have addressed in pubertal models the mechanistic events that could be targeted to provide protection from gonadotoxicity and data on potential radioprotective treatments in this peculiar period of life are elusive. In this study, we utilized an in vitro model of the mouse pubertal testis to investigate the efficacy of crocetin to counteract ionizing radiation (IR)-induced injury and potential underlying mechanisms. Present experiments provide evidence that exposure of testis fragments from pubertal mice to 2 Gy X-rays induced extensive structural and cellular damage associated with overexpression of PARP1, PCNA, SOD2 and HuR and decreased levels of SIRT1 and catalase. A twenty-four hr exposure to 50 μM crocetin pre- and post-IR significantly reduced testis injury and modulated the response to DNA damage and oxidative stress. Nevertheless, crocetin treatment did not counteract the radiation-induced changes in the expression of SIRT1, p62 and LC3II. These results increase the knowledge of mechanisms underlying radiation damage in pubertal testis and establish the use of crocetin as a fertoprotective agent against IR deleterious effects in pubertal period.

Unraveling the molecular mechanisms between inflammation and tumor angiogenesis

Inflammatory mediators in tumor microenvironment influence cancer occurrence, growth and metastasis through complex signaling networks. Excessive inflammation is closely associated with elevated cancer risk and mortality, in part through inflammation-induced angiogenesis. Mechanistically, multiple tumor-associated inflammatory cells increase the release and accumulation of various inflammatory products in cancerous sites. These products in turn activate tumor associated signaling cascades such as STAT3, NF-κB, PI3K/Akt and p38 MAPK, which mediate the recruitment of inflammatory cells and secretion of pro-inflammatory factors. More importantly, these events promote the secretion of various pro-angiogenesis factors from endothelial, tumor and inflammatory cells, which then drive malignancy in endothelial cells in a paracrine and/or autocrine manner. Its ultimate effect is to promote endothelial cell proliferation, migration, survival and tube formation, and to hence the formation of blood vessels in tumors. This review describes the signaling network that connects the interaction between inflammation and cancer, especially those involved in inflammation-induced angiogenesis. This will reveal potential targets for the design of anti-inflammatory treatments and drugs that inhibites tumor growth and angiogenesis.

Crocetin suppresses the growth and migration in HCT-116 human colorectal cancer cells by activating the p-38 MAPK signaling pathway

Background and purpose:

Crocetin is a natural antioxidant that is found in the crocus flower and Gardenia jasminoides (fruit). Previous studies have reported its anticancer activity both in vivo and in vitro. In addition, crocetin suppresses the growth and migration of human colorectal cancer cells, however, its mechanism of action remains to be elucidated. Therefore, the present study investigated the molecular mechanism of crocetin effect on colorectal cancer cells (HCT-116) in vitro.

Experimental approach:

HCT-116 cells were treated with different concentrations (0, 200, 400, 600, and 800 μM) of crocetin for 24 h. The cell survival rate was measured by MTT assay. Cell migration capacity was evaluated using the wound healing assay. The expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-9) was monitored by RT-PCR. Phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) was determined using western blot.

Findings/Results:

The proliferation of HCT-116 was inhibited by crocetin at 800 μM (P < 0.001). Crocetin prevented migration of HCT-116 cells (P < 0.05) and suppressed VEGF and MMP-9 mRNA expression (P < 0.001) and increased phosphorylation of p38 (MAPK; P < 0.001). However, no significant change in the phosphorylation of FAK was observed.

Conclusion and implication:

These data suggested that crocetin-induced growth- and migration- suppressing effects on HCT-116 cells may partially depend on the regulation of the p38 (MAPK) signaling pathway.

The Carotenoid Compound of Saffron Crocetin Alleviates Effects of Ischemia Reperfusion Injury via a Mechanism Possibly Involving MiR-127

Renal impairment is associated with high mortality rates in severely ill patients. The need to prevent and treat renal damage underlines the importance of understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms that characterize it. This could also enable early diagnosis and the design of alternative therapeutic approaches. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of crocetin, a known antioxidant, on the prevention of renal damage due to ischemia-reperfusion injury and the investigation of the mechanisms involved. The present study was performed on C57BL/6 mice aged 10-12 weeks. The animals had access to water and food ad libitum. The experiment, as described in materials and methods, was completed at 24 h, in which case the kidneys were removed for further study, both at tissue morphology (with immunohistochemistry) and changes in the level of miRs’ expression by qRT-PCR. Accordingly, using the automatic precision analyzer, the serum levels of the basic parameters currently used clinically for the monitoring of renal function were determined. The administration of crocetin, despite the short presence of the substance in the body, affects all the biochemical parameters analyzed (urea, creatinine, uric acid, and ions of Na, K, Cl, P, Mg and Ca), ​​causing significant decrease of their measured values. Crocetin also resulted in a significant limitation of the inflammation elements and the degree of epithelial damage. Furthermore, the administration of crocetin appears to restore levels of expression of miR21, miR127 and miR132.