Saffron in the treatment of depression, anxiety and other mental disorders: Current evidence and potential mechanisms of action

Shafiee, Mojtaba; Arekhi, Soheil; Omranzadeh, Alireza; Sahebkar, Amirhossein

doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.11.020

Cited by 136 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 86 publications

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“…In particular, to delay the occurrence of the symptoms and effects of degenerative ocular diseases [8] and to prevent and treat mood disorders and mild-to-severe depression without side-effects, even in people with unremitted depression treated with antidepressant medication [12][13][14][15][16]. In depression, different mechanisms of actions have been proposed to explain the functional properties of saffron such as reuptake inhibitors of monoamines, N-methyl-Daspartate receptor (NMDA) antagonism, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) agonism [17,18]. In addition, the antioxidant capacity of saffron may contribute to balance the oxidative stress in depressive patients [19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioaccessibility and Pharmacokinetics of a Commercial Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) Extract

Almodóvar¹,

Briskey

Rao³

et al. 2020

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

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There are few studies about the pharmacokinetics of the low-molecular mass carotenoids crocetin or crocin isomers from saffron (Crocus sativus L.). None has been performed with a galenic preparation of a standardised saffron extract. The aim of the present research work was to study the effect of in vitro digestion process on the main bioactive components of saffron extract tablets and the corresponding pharmacokinetic parameters in humans. Pharmacokinetics were calculated collecting blood samples every 30 min during the first 3 h and at 24 h after administration of two different concentrations (56 and 84 mg of the saffron extract) to 13 healthy human volunteers. Additionally, an in vitro digestion process was performed in order to determine the bioaccessibility of saffron main bioactive compounds. Identification and quantification analysis were performed by HPLC-PAD/MS. Digestion resulted in 40% of bioaccesibility for crocin isomers, whereas, safranal content followed an opposite trend increasing about 2 folds its initial concentration after the digestion process. Crocetin in plasma was detected in a maximum concentration (Cmax) in blood between 60 and 90 min after oral consumption with dose-dependent response kinetics, showing that crocin isomers from galenic preparation of saffron extract are rapidly transformed into crocetin. The results showed that this tested galenic form is an efficient way to administer a saffron extract, since the observed crocetin Cmax was similar and more quickly bioavailable than those obtained by other studies with much higher concentrations of crocetin.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioaccessibility and Pharmacokinetics of a Commercial Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) Extract

Almodóvar¹,

Briskey

Rao³

et al. 2020

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

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“…It has been documented that saffron was used as a food or spicy plant product for nutritional status and dietary intake (Gohari, Saeidnia, & Mahmoodabadi, ). Previously, it was reported that saffron consumption had beneficial effect on mental health parameters in subjects with mental health problems (Shafiee, Arekhi, Omranzadeh, & Sahebkar, ). In our previous work, crocin intake at a dosage of 30 mg/day for 8 weeks had ameliorating effects on psychological status in subjects under MMT (Khalatbari‐Mohseni et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinical and metabolic responses to crocin in patients under methadone maintenance treatment: A randomized clinical trial

Ghaderi

Rasouli-Azad

Vahed

et al. 2019

Phytotherapy Research

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Patients under methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) programs are susceptible to several complications including metabolic and clinical disorders. This study was designed to determine the effect of crocin supplementation on mental health parameters and metabolic profiles in subjects under MMT. The current randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial was conducted among 53 patients under MMT to receive either 15 mg/day of crocin (n = 26) or placebo (n = 27) twice a day for 8 weeks. Crocin administration significantly decreased Beck DepressionInventory score (P = 0.01) and Beck Anxiety Inventory score (P = 0.008) compared with the placebo. In addition, crocin administration resulted in a significant reduction in fasting glucose (P = 0.003), insulin levels (P = 0.01), insulin resistance (P = 0.008), triglycerides (P = 0.001), very low-density lipoprotein (P = 0.001), total cholesterol levels (P = 0.03), and a significant increase in insulin sensitivity (.003) compared with the placebo. Additionally, crocin intake was associated with a significant reduction in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (p < .001) and malondialdehyde (P = 0.001) and a significant rise in total antioxidant capacity levels (P = 0.01) compared with the placebo. The findings of this clinical trial indicate that taking crocin for 8 weeks by patients under MMT had beneficial effects on their mental health and improved their metabolic profiles.

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“…In general, phytotherapeutics that are known to act on the CNS are classified into several categories according to their main action on the brain: antidepressant, sedative, nootropic, tonic and adaptogenic. Ethnopharmacologically among the most extensively studied plants for their psychotropic action are Hypericum perforatum L., Valeriana officinalis L., Passiflora incarnata L., Crocus sativus L., Curcuma longa L., Rhodiola rosea L., Coffea arabica L., and Cannabis sativa L. (Panossian et al, 2018;Sarris et al, 2011;Shafiee et al, 2017).…”

Section: Plant Extracts and Their Bioactive Molecules With Effect On mentioning

confidence: 99%

Immunoregulatory natural compounds in stress-induced depression: An alternative or an adjunct to conventional antidepressant therapy?

Vasileva

Ivanovska

Murdjeva

et al. 2019

Food and Chemical Toxicology

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The interplay of chronic stress, neuroinflammation and altered immune reactivity has been shown to be important for the pathophysiology of brain disorders such as schizophrenia, depressive disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder. This immuno-inflammatory theory has been extensively studied in the past three decades leading to the formation of the integrative discipline of psychoneuroimmunology. Targeting of the central nervous system by conventional pharmacotherapeutic methods is mainly through modulation of neuroendocrine systems such as the dopaminergic, GABA-ergic, adrenergic and serotoninergic systems. In recent years an increasing number of both experimental and clinical studies have shown that antidepressants can affect the immune system by reducing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α. However, due to the serious adverse effects accompanying the chronic administration of psychoactive drugs there is a continuous need to produce novel therapeutics that are both potent and safe. The present review aims to summarize the current knowledge in the field of psychoneuroimmunology and to delineate the main interactions between stress, inflammation, immunity and the brain. Additionally, this paper explores the use of plant-derived molecules that display a strong anti-stress effect and simultaneously modulate the immune response as an alternative or adjuvant to classical antidepressant drugs.

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Saffron in the treatment of depression, anxiety and other mental disorders: Current evidence and potential mechanisms of action

Cited by 136 publications

References 86 publications

Bioaccessibility and Pharmacokinetics of a Commercial Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) Extract

Bioaccessibility and Pharmacokinetics of a Commercial Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) Extract

Clinical and metabolic responses to crocin in patients under methadone maintenance treatment: A randomized clinical trial

Immunoregulatory natural compounds in stress-induced depression: An alternative or an adjunct to conventional antidepressant therapy?

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