The Effect of Saffron Consumption on Biochemical and Histopathological Heart Indices of Rats with Myocardial Infarction

Abstract

This study was designed to assess the effects of saffron (Crocus sativus) on rats' heart with isoproterenol-induced myocardial injury. Animals were divided randomly into four groups: vehicle-control group (CTL); ISO group, administrated with Isoproterenol 85 mg/kg s.c.; saffron group; and finally combined Saffron + ISO group. Basal and final serum levels of heart troponin I, heart tissue antioxidants and histopathological indices were assessed in all groups. Isoproterenol administration significantly increased serum level of troponin I when compared to control group (3.46 +/- 0.77 vs. 0.53 +/- 0.35 ml in ng/ml, P < 0.001) and reduced significantly the glutathione peroxidase activity of heart muscle (1.63 +/- 0.21 vs. 4.01 +/- 0.64 nmol/mg protein, P < 0.05). The grade of heart muscle damages was severe in more than 70% of ISO group animals. Saffron + ISO group showed remarkably decreased intensity of tissue destruction and significantly decreased serum levels of heart troponin I, when compared to ISO group (1.25 +/- 0.23 vs. 3.46 +/- 0.77 ng/ml, P < 0.05). The level of glutathione peroxidase activity in Saffron + ISO animals did not have significant decline compared to saffron alone. These results suggest the protective role of saffron on ischemic hearts by biochemical and histopathological findings.

Protective effects of saffron (Crocus sativus) against lethal ventricular arrhythmias induced by heart reperfusion in rat: A potential anti-arrhythmic agent

“…Existing documents show the antioxidant properties of saffron (Asdaq & Inamdar, 2010;Hosseinzadeh et al, 2005). In a previous study, we demonstrated that pretreatment with saffron through augmentation of antioxidant levels decreased the isoproterenolinduced myocardial damage (Joukar et al, 2010). Therefore, a part of the anti-arrhythmic effects of saffron may be induced by its antioxidant features and stabilizing the redox balances in stressful condition.…”

“…Avicenna, the great Iranian physician (980-1037 A.D.), advised the use of saffron for the treatment of heart palpitations (Chishti, 1991). The cardioprotective effect of saffron and one of its constituents, crocin, in a stressful condition following the injection of high dose of isoproterenol has been confirmed in recent studies (Goyal et al, 2010;Joukar et al, 2010;Sachdeva et al, 2010). In addition, the attenuation effect of saffron on ischemicreperfusion injury of skeletal muscle (Hosseinzadeh et al, 2009), kidney (Hosseinzadeh et al, 2005) and ischemic brain tissue injury (Vakili et al, 2011) is reported.…”

“…The stigmas were chopped and macerated in tap water for three days. Then the mixture was filtered and different concentrations of saffron solution were prepared separately (Joukar et al, 2010).…”

Saffron: a natural product with potential pharmaceutical applications

“…[49] 40 adult patients with mild to moderate depression (Hamilton Rating Scale: [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] were randomized to C. sativus 15-mg bid versus fluoxetine 10-mg bid.…”

“…[1,3,[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] In parallel, the possible uses of saffron and its active constituents lead to an increasing number of research studies, some of which have drawn some very useful and intriguing results of active ingredients of saffron, especially against malignancies, cardiovascular and Alzheimer's disease. [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] In this minireview, we aim to summarize and critically address previous and current evidence regarding the biological/ pharmacological activities of saffron and its active ingredients and their possible therapeutic uses. The history and structural features of saffron constituents are given in the first part of the review, followed by a comprehensive and critical presentation of the published preclinical and clinical studies and review papers on the pharmacology and potential therapeutic applications of saffron and its main active components.…”