Cow and Ewe Cheeses Made with Saffron: Characterization of Bioactive Compounds and Their Antiproliferative Effect in Cervical Adenocarcinoma (HeLa) and Breast Cancer (MDA-MB-231) Cells

Abstract

Saffron is a widespread consumed spice containing many phytochemicals. It is often used in dairy technologies to enhance color and flavor of cheeses, but it is also known for its several therapeutic effects, as well as its antiproliferative and anticancer properties. In this study High Performance Liquid Chromatography was used to characterize saffron bioactive compounds in cow and ewe cheeses made with saffron, and the antiproliferative effect of the crocin-rich extracts from cheeses was investigated on different cellular lines (CaCo2, MDA-MB-231 and HeLa) by MTT assay. Crocins were observed in all cheese samples, with the total content ranging between 0.54 and 30.57 mg trans-4-GG/100 g cheese, according to the different cheese making process. Picrocrocin was detected in no cheese (probably due to its degradation during cheese making), while safranal was detected only in one ewe cheese (mainly due to its high volatility). HeLa and MDA-MB-231 cells were sensitive to treatment with crocin-rich extracts from cheeses, while no effect was observed on CaCo2 cells. The chemical environment of the food matrix seems to have a great influence on the crocin antiproliferative effect: the crocin-rich extracts from cheese with both high residual N/protein and fat contents showed increased antiproliferative effect compared to pure crocin (trans-4-GG), but cheeses from different milk species (type of fats and proteins) could also play an important role in modulating crocin’s antiproliferative effects.

Comprehensive Analysis Reveals Distinct Immunological and Prognostic Characteristics of CD276/B7-H3 in Pan-Cancer

“…Two human ovarian cancer cell lines (A2780, SKOV3), a human cervical adenocarcinoma cell line (Hela) and a human cervical squamous cell carcinoma cell line (Siha) were obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC, USA). 29–32 A2780 and SKOV3 cell lines were maintained in RMPI 1640 medium (Gibco, USA) supplemented with 10% FBS (Biological Industries, Israel). Hela cell lines were cultured in the DMEM medium (Gibco, USA) enriched with 10% FBS.…”

Crocin: Functional characteristics, extraction, food applications and efficacy against brain related disorders

“…The bioactive compounds of saffron are commonly used to develop various functional food products, including dairy products ( 88 ). Moreover, in dairy products, various types of cheese are developed that are enriched with saffron ( 89 ). Various cheeses, including Luneberg cheese, Pecorino allo Zafferano and Piacentinu Ennese cheese, are obtained from different animal milk sources like Austrian cow's milk, Italian sheep's milk, and Sicily sheep's milk.…”