A review of therapeutic impacts of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) and its constituents

Abstract

Application of herbal medicines in the treatment of diseases is in the center of attention of medical scientific societies. Saffron (Cricus sativus L.) is a medicinal plant belonging to the Iridaceae family with different therapeutic properties. The outcomes of human and animal experiments indicate that therapeutic impacts of saffron and its constituents, crocin, crocetin, and safranal, mainly are mediated via inhibiting the inflammatory reactions and scavenging free radicals. It has been suggested that saffron and crocin extracted from it also up-regulate the expression of sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), down-regulate nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway and untimely improve the body organs dysfunction. Inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) also is attributed to crocin. The current review narrates the therapeutic effects of saffron and its constituents on various body systems through looking for the scientific databases including Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar from the beginning of 2010 until the end of 2022.