Hypotensive effect of aqueous saffron extract (Crocus sativus L.) and its constituents, safranal and crocin, in normotensive and hypertensive rats

Abstract

In this study, the effects of saffron (Crocus sativus) stigma aqueous extract and two active constituents, crocin and safranal, were investigated on blood pressure of normotensive and desoxycorticosterone acetate-induced hypertensive rats. Three doses of crocin (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg), safranal (0.25, 0.5 and 1 mg/kg) and the aqueous extract (2.5, 5 and 10 mg/kg) were administered intravenously in different groups of normotensive and hypertensive animals and their effects on mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) and heart rate (HR) were evaluated. The aqueous extract of saffron stigma, safranal and crocin reduced the MABP in normotensive and hypertensive anaesthetized rats in a dose-dependent manner. For example, administrations of 10 mg/kg of aqueous extract, 1 mg/kg of safranal and 200 mg/kg of crocin caused 60 +/- 8.7, 50 +/- 5.2 and 51 +/- 3.8 mmHg reductions in MABP, respectively. It can be concluded that the aqueous extract of saffron stigma has hypotensive properties which appear to be attributable, in part, to the actions of two major constitutes of this plant, crocin and safranal. It seems that safranal is more important than crocin for lowering down blood pressure of rats.

Physalis minima Leaves Extract Induces Re-Endothelialization in Deoxycorticosterone Acetate-Salt-Induced Endothelial Dysfunction in Rats

“…DOCA-salt induction was performed according to the method of Imenshahidi et al (2010) and Bankar et al (2011) with modification. Briefly, the rats were subcutaneously injected with DOCA (10 mg/kgBW, Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA) twice a week and given 0.9% NaCl in drinking water ad libitum for six consecutive weeks (Imenshahidi et al, 2010;Bankar et al, 2011).…”

“…Briefly, the rats were subcutaneously injected with DOCA (10 mg/kgBW, Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA) twice a week and given 0.9% NaCl in drinking water ad libitum for six consecutive weeks (Imenshahidi et al, 2010;Bankar et al, 2011).…”

Neuroprotective effect of safranal, an active ingredient of Crocus sativus , in a rat model of transient cerebral ischemia

“…Safranal possesses a wide range of properties such as being anti-oxidant [3,13], anti-inflammatory [9,14], antidiabetic [21,28], antiseizure [11,12,24], anxiolytic [6], anti-hypertensive [16], cytoprotective [4] and anti-carcinogenic [22]. In our previous research, safranal displayed obvious protective effects on brain injury induced by transient global cerebral ischemia in rats [10].…”

Medicinal plants with cardiovascular effects (part 2): plant based review

“…Administrations of 10 mg/kg of aqueous extract, 1 mg/kg of safranal and 200 mg/kg of crocin caused 60 ± 8.7, 50 ±5.2 and 51 ± 3.8 mmHg reductions in MABP, respectively. Accordingly, the aqueous extract of saffron stigma had hypotensive properties which appear to be attributable, in part, to the actions of two major constitutes of this plant, crocin and safranal, and safranal was more important than crocin for lowering the blood pressure of rats [115] The effects of saffron (Crocus sativus) stigma aqueous extract was studied on blood pressure of normotensive and desoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt induced hypertensive rats. Five weeks administration of three doses saffron aqueous extract (10, 20 and 40 mg/Kg/day) and spironolactone (50 mg/Kg/day) in different groups of normotensive and hypertensive rats (at the end of 4 weeks treatment by DOCA-salt) showed that chronic administration of saffron aqueous extract reduced the MSBP in DOCA salt treated rats in a dose dependent manner.…”