Background
Saffron, a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, has now undergone several trials examining its antidepressant effects and, in a recent meta-analysis, was confirmed to be effective for the treatment of major depression.

Objective
To provide an expanded systematic analysis of the completed clinical studies on saffron and depression, detailing dosages, extract sources, standardisations, safety profile and treatment duration; and, through a narrative review, to examine its potential antidepressant mechanisms of action.

Design
In the systematic review of clinical trials, electronic databases were searched for high-quality, randomised, double-blind studies, with placebo or antidepressant controls. A narrative review of in vivo and in vitro studies was conducted to examine its potential antidepressant mechanisms of action.

Results
In the systematic review, six studies were identified. In the placebo-comparison trials, saffron had large treatment effects and, when compared with antidepressant medications, had similar antidepressant efficacy. Saffron's antidepressant effects potentially are due to its serotonergic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuro-endocrine and neuroprotective effects.

Conclusions
Research conducted so far provides initial support for the use of saffron for the treatment of mild-to-moderate depression. Further research is required to expand our understanding of the role and actions of saffron in major depression.

Saffron (Crocus sativus) for depression: a systematic review of clinical studies and examination of underlying antidepressant mechanisms of action

Gastroprotective effect of crocin in ethanol-induced gastric injury in rats.

This review discusses the past and recent advancements of biosensors focusing on detection of organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) due to their exceptional use during the last decades. Apart from agricultural benefits, OPs also impose adverse toxicological effects on animal and human population. Conventional approaches such as chromatographic techniques used for pesticide detection are associated with several limitations. A biosensor technology is unique due to the detection sensitivity, selectivity, remarkable performance capabilities, simplicity and on-site operation, fabrication and incorporation with nanomaterials. This study also provided specifications of the most OPs biosensors reported until today based on their transducer system. In addition, we highlighted the application of advanced complementary materials and analysis techniques in OPs detection systems. The availability of these new materials associated with new sensing techniques has led to introduction of easy-to-use analytical tools of high sensitivity and specificity in the design and construction of OPs biosensors. In this review, we elaborated the achievements in sensing systems concerning innovative nanomaterials and analytical techniques with emphasis on OPs.

Biosensors and their applications in detection of organophosphorus pesticides in the environment

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a group of metabolic disorders in which high blood sugar levels occur over a prolonged period. Approximately 4% of the global population is affected by DM. Western medical treatment methods for diabetes including injection or oral hypoglycemic drugs have some toxic or side effects, economic pressures, and so on. Many researchers turn to discover new drugs from natural products or Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Flavonoids are widely distributed in plants, and many studies have shown that flavonoids possess antidiabetic properties, exhibiting not only well-recognized antidiabetic and hypoglycemic activities but also activity in the treatment of diabetic complications. In this review, we systematically summarized anti-diabetic flavonoid compounds based on structure classification by examining the PubMed, Springer Link, Web of Science, and CNKI databases. There are 13 flavonoid compounds listed which have been studied extensively and have antidiabetic features respectively. Apigenin, baicalein, and catechin mainly reduces blood glucose via anti-oxidation; hesperidin is good for diabetic neuropathy; glycyrrhiza flavonoids have a significant effect on gestational DM; quercetin takes advantage of crossing the blood-brain barrier and improving renal function. Some compounds have protective and preventive effects on diabetic complications, such as kaempferol and puerarin which are beneficial to cardiomyopathy; myricetin has therapeutic potential in the treatment of DN; dihydromyricetin might improve CI. It is a pity or might be a pointcut that most studies remain in the animal experimental stage, and further investigation should be carried out.

https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/pdf/10.1142/S0192415X19500496

Antidiabetic Potential of Flavonoids from Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Review.

Background Crocus sativus L. (saffron) belongs to Iridaceae family which is commonly cultivated in Asia, Europe and America. The commercial product and use of saffron comes from the dried stigmas which gives a yellow color, bitter taste and intense aroma. This spice has been used since ancient times because of its aromatic, flavor and coloring properties along with its functional characteristics. Saffron is applied in many food products as well as being utilized in medical treatments. Scope and approach Lately, scholars have focused on using herbal medicine for the healing of various diseases such as, tumor and heart-related disorders, along with functions such as antitussive, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive, antidepressing, memory enhancing and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The main purpose of this review is to highlight the recent advances of experimental in vitro and in vivo investigations focused on the stigmas and tepals of saffron, chemical composition, and application of its principal ingredients (crocin, picrocrocin and saffranal) in treatment of different diseases. Key findings and conclusions Despite the main usage of saffron is for culinary purposes, it also has significant applications in pharmaceutical and clinical fields. Saffron contains a number of bioactive components which are believed to be largely responsible for its health promoting properties including treating various disorders like asthma, atherosclerosis, painful menstrual periods and even depression; its role as an antioxidant with anti-cancerous and memory enhancing properties; its effectiveness at treating mild to moderate depression; and its high efficiency in lowering the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood of people suffering from cardiovascular diseases. The clinical findings suggest that saffron is a safe and effective plant. In the last decade, saffron has been studied for its unique properties to be employed within medical fields to treat many diseases.

Ahmad Reza Movassaghi

Papers

Protective effect of crocin on diazinon induced cardiotoxicity in rats in subchronic exposure.