Metabolic syndrome is a disorder which encompasses obesity, high blood glucose, high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. Moreover, metabolic syndrome is considered as the most important risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD is the leading cause of mortality in the world for both men and women. Several chemical drugs are available to treat metabolic risk factors, but because of the safety, efficacy, cultural acceptability and lesser side effects, nowadays herbal therapy has a critical role in the treatment of these CVD risk factors. Crocus sativus L. (saffron) is a perennial herb that belongs to the Iridaceae family. Saffron is an extensively used food additive for its colour and taste and has been widely used in traditional as well as modern medicine to treat several illnesses including cardiovascular diseases. Most of the unique properties of this plant are attributed to the presence of three major components, including crocin, safranal and crocetin. It has been proved that saffron has an important role in the management of metabolic syndrome because of its marvelous activities including anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, hypotensive and hypolipidaemic properties. In this review article, we discuss the beneficial properties of saffron and its active components to treat different components of metabolic syndrome and most relevant animal and human studies regarding the use of this plant in cardiovascular disease, with focus on the metabolic risk factors. This review also suggests that after randomised clinical trials, saffron may be implicated as a preventive or therapeutic agent against metabolic syndrome. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Saffron: a promising natural medicine in the treatment of metabolic syndrome.

Protective effects of crocin and zinc sulfate on hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats: a comparative experimental model study.

Crocin and safranal, the major constituents of saffron, exert neuroprotective effects. In the present study, we investigated the effects of crocin and safranal (alone or in combination with insulin) on peripheral neuropathy in diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of 60 mg/kg of streptozotocin (STZ) and confirmed by blood glucose level higher than 250 mg/dl. After confirmation of diabetes, crocin (30 mg/kg, i.p.), safranal (1 mg/kg, i.p.) (alone or in combination with insulin) and insulin (5 IU/kg, s.c.) were administered for eight weeks. Neuropathic pain was evaluated using acetone drop test. Histopathological changes of sciatic nerve were evaluated using light microscope. Blood glucose levels and sciatic nerve malondialdehyde (MDA) contents were also measured. Results: STZ caused cold allodynia, edema and degenerative changes of sciatic nerve, hyperglycemia and an elevation of sciatic nerve MDA levels. Crocin, safranal and insulin improved STZ- induced behavioral, histopathological and biochemical changes. Combined treatments produced more documented improving effects. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed neuroprotective effects of crocin, safranal and insulin in a rat model of diabetic neuropathy. In addition, crocin and safranal enhanced the neuroprotective effect of insulin. The neuroprotective effects of theses chemical compounds could be associated with their anti-hyperglycemic and antioxidant properties.

http://ajp.mums.ac.ir/article_4666_57849ea4a1ed2e2c6496ffe64d972139.pdf

Histopathological and behavioral evaluations of the effects of crocin, safranal and insulin on diabetic peripheral neuropathy in rats

BackgroundOxidative stress plays a critical role in the pathogenesis and progression of type 2 diabetes and diabetic-associated cardiovascular complications. This study investigated the impact of crocin combined with voluntary exercise on heart oxidative stress indicator in high-fat diet-induced type 2 diabetic rats.Materials and methodsRats were divided into four groups: diabetes, diabetic-crocin, diabetic-voluntary exercise, diabetic-crocin-voluntary exercise. Type 2 diabetes was induced by high-fat diet (4 weeks) and injection of streptozotocin (intraperitoneally, 35 mg/kg). Animals received crocin orally (50 mg/kg); voluntary exercise was performed alone or combined with crocin treatment for 8 weeks. Finally, malondialdehyde (MDA), activity of antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and catalase (CAT) were measured spectrophotometrically.ResultsTreatment of diabetic rats with crocin and exercise significantly decreased the levels of MDA (p < 0.001) and increased ...

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Protective effect of crocin and voluntary exercise against oxidative stress in the heart of high-fat diet-induced type 2 diabetic rats.

Objective: Crocinisa saffron constituent with a potent anti-oxidant activity. The present study investigated the effects of crocin and insulin treatments (alone or in combination) on cardiac function and pathology in diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 50 mg/kg). Thereafter, crocin (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg, i.p.), subcutaneous (s.c.) injection of insulin (4 IU/kg) and their combination were administeredfor eight weeks. Blood glucose level andwhole heart and body weights were measured. Electrocardiography (ECG) was carried out using the lead II. Serum concentrations of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase-MB isoenzyme (CK-MB), and the heart tissue malodialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) contents were determined. The heart lesions were evaluated by light microscopy. Results: STZ decreased body weight and increased whole heart weight/body weight ratio. It also decreased heart rate, and increased RR and QT intervals and T wave amplitude. STZ increased blood glucose, serum LDH andCK-MB levels, augmentedheart tissue MDA content, decreased SOD content of heart tissue, and produced hemorrhages, degeneration, interstitial edema, and fibroblastic proliferation in the heart tissue. Crocin (10 and 20 mg/kg, i.p.), insulin (4 IU/kg, s.c.) and their combination (5 mg/kg of crocin with 4 IU/kg of insulin) treatments recovered the ECG, biochemical and histopathological changes induced by STZ. Conclusion: The results showed cardioprotective  effects of crocin and insulin in STZ-induced diabetic rats. The antioxidant and anti-hyperglycemic properties of crocin and insulin may be involved in their cardioprotective actions.

http://ajp.mums.ac.ir/article_6775_9e8e8d48624e92247dc4a2ccd07ebb78.pdf

The effects of crocin, insulin and their co-administration on the heart function and pathology in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Objectives:Crocin is one of constituents of saffron and has antioxidant property. Zinc chloride is one of the common compounds of zinc with antioxidant activity. The present study was aimed to investigate separate and combined treatment effects of crocin and zinc chloride on blood levels of zinc and metabolic and oxidative parameters in diabetic rats. Materials and Methods:Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of 50 mg/kg of streptozotocin (STZ) and was confirmed by blood glucose levels higher than 250 mg/dL. After confirmation of diabetes, injections (i.p.) of crocin and zinc chloride were performed for six weeks. At the end of the experiment, blood levels of zinc, glucose, insulin, malodialdehyde (MDA), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were measured. ‎ Results:Crocin (25 and 50 mg/kg) and zinc chloride (5 mg/kg) significantly recovered the decreased levels of zinc, insulin, and TAC and improved the increased levels of glucose and MDA in STZ-induced diabetic rats. In a combination treatment performed with an ineffective dose of crocin (12.5 mg/kg) and a low dose of zinc chloride (1.25 mg/kg), improving effects were observed on the above-mentioned biochemical parameters.‎ Conclusions: The results indicated that separate and combined treatments with crocin and zinc chloride produced improving effects on the blood levels of zinc, glucose, insulin, MDA and TAC in STZ-induced diabetic rats.‎

http://ajp.mums.ac.ir/article_3309_dc58a48736686190b08a3030e38105c1.pdf

Behnaz Gasemsoltani-Momtaz

Papers

Effects of crocin and zinc chloride on blood levels of zinc and metabolic and oxidative parameters in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.