Disease relevance of D01030

• Feeding experiments demonstrated that crocin dyes at 0.1% in the diet could suppress partially the chronic hepatic damage induced by multiple dosages of AFB1 or DMN, but at a higher concentration of 1% crocin dye failed to do so because of their host toxicity [1].
• Intracerebroventricular injection of crocin (51.2 nmol) alone did not affect the synaptic potential evoked by single stimulation of the medial perforant path, and neither inhibited nor facilitated the LTP induced by strong (30 pulses at 60 Hz) or weak (20 pulses at 60 Hz) tetanus [2].
• In conclusion, long-term treatment with crocin enhances survival selectively in female rats with colon cancer without major toxic effects [3].
• In assays in vitro, crocin had a potent cytotoxic effect on human and animal adenocarcinoma cells (HT-29 and DHD/K12-PROb cells, 50% lethal dose = 0.4 and 1.0 mM, respectively) [3].
• We report here the effects of crocin on neuronally differentiated pheochromocytoma (PC-12) cells deprived of serum/glucose [4].

Psychiatry related information on D01030

• We found RCTs at the Grade 2 level on the use of Saffron (Herbal medicine), Complex Homoeopathy and Relaxation training in Depressive disorders, all of which showed inconclusive results [5].
• Referenced as both supporting and weakening the case for parenting by homosexuals, 57 life-story narratives of children with homosexual parents published by Rafkin in 1990 and Saffron in 1996 were subjected to content analysis [6].

High impact information on D01030

• This procedure is based on the "crocin bleaching test" (Bors, W., et al. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 796:312-319; 1984) modified for analyzing the antioxidant capacity of complex mixtures (Tubaro, F., et al. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 73:173-179; 1996) [7].
• The elevated rate constant for the interaction with peroxyl radicals, analysed by the kinetics of inhibition of crocin bleaching in the presence of a diazo initiator, gives an account for the observed antioxidant capacity [8].
• Crocin protects retinal photoreceptors against light-induced cell death [9].
• TUNEL assays confirmed that crocin protected photoreceptors from light damage [9].
• In a previous study, we demonstrated that crocin inhibits apoptosis in PC-12 cells by affecting the function of tumor necrosis factor-alpha [10].

Chemical compound and disease context of D01030

• We used an experimental model in the rat to examine the effects of long-term treatment with crocin, a glycosylated carotenoid from the stigmas of the saffron crocus, on colon cancer [3].
• The antipyretic activity of ibuprofen (Brufen) and paracetamol (Crocin) was compared in 22 children with pyrexia who received either ibuprofen or paracetamol in syrup form [11].
• Crocetin esters were less potent than crocin itself in the inhibition of EBV early antigen expression [12].
• Our data demonstrated that crocin has preventive effects on the cell apoptosis induced by H(2)O(2), which may contribute to its utilisation for cardiovascular diseases (e.g., atherosclerosis and hypertension) [13].

Biological context of D01030

• Treating the PC-12 cells with crocin prevented N-SMase activation, ceramide production, and JNK phosphorylation [10].
• We have previously found that crocin (crocetin di-gentiobiose ester) antagonizes the inhibitory effect of ethanol on long-term potentiation in the rat hippocampus in vivo and in vitro [14].
• These results together with our previous data suggest that crocin is a unique and potent antioxidant that combats oxidative stress in neurons [4].
• Results of the modified fat-loading method indicated that crocin inhibited the absorption of fat and cholesterol and this inhibition is closely related to the hydrolysis of fat [15].
• BD-IX rats were divided into four groups: Groups G1 and G2, designated "cancer groups," were used to study the effects of crocin on the progression of colon cancer, and Groups G3 and G4, designated "toxicity groups," were used to study the effects of the treatment on metabolic processes and the parenchyma [3].

Anatomical context of D01030

• Crocin protected the photoreceptors against blue light- or white light-mediated damage in a concentration-dependent manner with an EC50 of approximately 30 microM [9].
• The effects of crocin (crocetin di-gentiobiose ester) and its analogs on long-term potentiation (LTP) of evoked potential in the dentate gyrus were investigated by using anesthetized rats [2].
• The effects of crocin might be related to its strong cytotoxic effect on cultured tumor cells [3].
• The results of the in situ loop method and enzyme assay indicated that crocin could not directly block the absorption of cholesterol from rat jejunum but could selectively inhibit the activity of pancreatic lipase as a competitive inhibitor [15].
• Compared with control, Ox-LDL group could increase the activity of LDH and decrease activity of NO in culture media and activity of NOS in endothelial cells, preincubated with crocin, the effects of Ox-LDL were inhibited [16].

Associations of D01030 with other chemical compounds

• The UGTCs2 transcript was not detected in the stigma tissue of a Crocus species that does not synthesize crocin, while UGTCs3 and other structural genes for carotenoid biosynthesis were expressed in the stigma of all tested Crocus species [17].
• To explore mechanisms underlying the antagonism of crocin against ethanol, we investigated the effects of ethanol and crocin on synaptic potentials mediated by N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the dentate gyrus of rat hippocampal slices [14].
• The radical scavenging property of phycocyanin was established by studying its reactivity with peroxyl and hydroxyl radicals and also by competition kinetics of crocin bleaching [18].
• The antioxidant effects of manganese and other transition metals were studied as the inhibition of microsomal lipid peroxidation and crocin bleaching by peroxyl radicals [19].
• Doses inducing 50% cell growth inhibition (LD50) on HeLa cells were 2.3 mg/ml for an ethanolic extract of saffron dry stigmas, 3 mM for crocin, 0.8 mM for safranal and 3 mM for picrocrocin [20].

Gene context of D01030

• Crocin suppresses tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced cell death of neuronally differentiated PC-12 cells [21].
• Crocin also blocked the cytochrome c-induced activation of caspase-3 [21].
• Kinetics of reduction of hypervalent iron in myoglobin by crocin in aqueous solution [22].
• Chemiluminescence was inhibited by inhibitors of salivary peroxidase, azide and cyanide and by a singlet oxygen quencher, crocin [23].
• Crocin is an ethanol-extractable component of Crocus sativus L.; it is reported to prevent ethanol-induced impairment of learning and memory in mice [21].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of D01030

• PURPOSE: The present study was performed to investigate the effect of crocin on blue light- and white light-induced rod and cone death in primary retinal cell cultures [9].
• (saffron) that has been used in traditional Chinese medicine [10].
• Results indicate that the developed HPLC assay can be readily utilized as a quality control method for crocin-containing medicinal herbs [24].
• A non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE) method for quantifying the seven crocin metabolites that are the major biologically active ingredients of saffron was developed [25].
• In addition to the inhibitory activity on bleaching of crocin induced by alkoxyl radicals, these compounds also demonstrated scavenging properties toward 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl in thin-layer chromatography autographic and spectrophotometric assays [26].

References