Disease relevance of Crocus

• In the present study, neuromodulatory effects of crocetin (active constituent of Crocus sativus) in a 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) model of rat Parkinsonism were investigated [1].

High impact information on Crocus

• Crocus sativus lectin (CSL) is one of the truly mannose-specific plant lectins that has a unique binding specificity that sets it apart from others [2].
• Implications of carotenoid biosynthetic genes in apocarotenoid formation during the stigma development of Crocus sativus and its closer relatives [3].
• Crocus sativus is a triploid sterile plant characterized by its long red stigmas, which produce and store significant quantities of the apocarotenoids crocetin and crocin, formed from the oxidative cleavage of zeaxanthin [3].
• Crocin is a pharmacologically active component of Crocus sativus L [4].
• Glucosylation of the saffron apocarotenoid crocetin by a glucosyltransferase isolated from Crocus sativus stigmas [5].

Biological context of Crocus

• Crocetin, a carotenoid isolated from the Chinese herbal medicine Crocus sativus L [6].
• Cysteine together with vitamin E, Crocus sativus and Nigella sativa tended to protect from cisplatin-induced falls in leucocyte counts, haemoglobin levels and mean osmotic fragility of erythrocytes and also prevented the increase in haematocrit [7].

Associations of Crocus with chemical compounds

• Crocin, safranal and picrocrocin from saffron (Crocus sativus L.) inhibit the growth of human cancer cells in vitro [8].
• Three new monoterpenoids, crocusatin-J (1), -K (2), and -L (3), and a new naturally occurring acid, (3S),4-dihydroxybutyric acid (4), together with 31 known compounds were isolated and identified from the methanol extract of the petals of saffron (Crocus sativus) [9].
• Catalytic properties of three L-lactate dehydrogenases from saffron corms (Crocus sativus L) [10].
• Five new naturally occurring monoterpenoids, crocusatins-A (1), -B (2a), -C (3), -D (4a) -E (5), a new lactate, sodium (2S)-(O-hydroxyphenyl)lactate (6), and eighteen known compounds were isolated and characterized from the pollen of Crocus sativus L [11].
• Lectin from bulbs of Crocus sativus recognizing N-linked core glycan: isolation and binding studies using fluorescence polarization [12].

Gene context of Crocus

• Constituents of the stigmas of Crocus sativus and their tyrosinase inhibitory activity [13].
• Crocin is an ethanol-extractable component of Crocus sativus L.; it is reported to prevent ethanol-induced impairment of learning and memory in mice [14].
• A modified, economic, sensitive method for measuring total antioxidant capacities of human plasma and natural compounds using Indian saffron (Crocus sativus) [15].
• Inhibition of growth and induction of differentiation of promyelocytic leukemia (HL-60) by carotenoids from Crocus sativus L [16].
• The seminatural (DMCRT and CRT) and natural carotenoids (CRCs) of Crocus sativus L. are not provitamin A precursors and could therefore be less toxic than retinoids, even at high doses [16].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Crocus

• When administered i.p. for 5 alternate days with 3 mg/kg cisplatin, cysteine (20 mg/kg) together with vitamin E (2 mg/rat) an extract of Crocus sativus stigmas (50 mg/kg) and Nigella sativa seed (50 mg/kg) significantly reduced blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine levels as well as cisplatin-induced serum total lipids increases [7].

References