Publications (169) View all
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Article: Role of saffron and its constituents on cancer chemoprevention.
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ABSTRACT: Abstract Context: Cancer dramatically impacts human life expectancy and quality of life. Natural substances from vegetables, herbs and spices could be beneficial in the prevention or treatment of a variety of cancers. Crocus sativus (Iridaceae), which has been used as a folk medicine for treating diseases for ages, showed obvious cancer chemoprevention potential. Objective: This article focuses on the effects of Crocus sativus and its main ingredients, such as crocin, on cancer therapeutics. Methods: We reviewed research data from saffron, a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, and its constituents using the major databases, namely, Web of Science, SciFinder and PubMed. Results and conclusion: Saffron possesses free radical-scavenging properties and antitumor activities. Significant cancer chemopreventive effects have been shown in both in vitro and in vivo models. Based on current data, saffron and its ingredients could be considered as a promising candidate for clinical anticancer trials.Pharmaceutical Biology 04/2013; · 0.88 Impact Factor -
Article: Investigation of Interfacial Behavior of Glycyrrhizin with a Lipid Rafts Model via a Langmuir Monolayer Study.
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ABSTRACT: An interaction of glycyrrhizin (GC) with a lipid rafts biomembrane model that consisted of N-palmitoyl-D-erythro-sphingosylphosphorylcholine (PSM), 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC), and cholesterol (CHOL) was systematically studied using the Langmuir monolayer technique. To construct the lipid rafts model, the surface pressure (π)-molecular area (A) and surface potential (ΔV)-A isotherms for three-component (PSM/DOPC/CHOL) systems on 0.02M Tris buffer with 0.13M NaCl (pH7.4) were primarily measured by changing their compositions. Thermodynamic and interaction parameters for binary PSM/DOPC and PSM/CHOL systems revealed that PSM interacts more strongly with CHOL than with DOPC. In addition, a morphological analysis performed with Brewster angle microscopy (BAM) and fluorescence microscopy (FM) revealed an optimal ratio of PSM/DOPC/CHOL (1/1/1, by mole) as a model of lipid rafts. Second, the interaction of GC with the ternary PSM/DOPC/CHOL monolayers was investigated on Tris buffer solutions containing different GC concentrations (1, 5, 10, 25, and 50μM). In BAM and FM images, microdomains were found to become smaller by increasing the GC concentration in the subphase, suggesting that GC regulates the size of raft domains, which provide dynamic scaffolding for numerous cellular processes. More interestingly, the distinctive GC striped regions were formed at the interface at 50μM, which shows that GC divides the ternary monolayer into pieces. This phenomenon was observed only in the presence of CHOL in the monolayer. These results suggest that CHOL plays an essential role in the interaction with GC, which results in one of the major activities associated with saponins membrane disruption.Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 01/2013; · 4.66 Impact Factor -
Article: Anti-Proliferative Activities and Apoptosis Induction by Triterpenes Derived from Eriobotrya japonica in Human Leukemia Cell Lines.
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ABSTRACT: Eriobotrya japonica leaf is a traditional herbal medicine that contains numerous triterpenes, which have various pharmacological properties. In this study, we investigated the anti-proliferative activity of four triterpenes derived from E. japonica, including corosolic acid (CA), ursolic acid (UA), maslinic acid (MA) and oleanolic acid (OA), in human leukemia cell lines. CA showed the strongest anti-proliferative activity in all of the leukemia cell lines tested, but not in normal human skin fibroblast cell lines. To determine the mechanism underlying the anti-proliferative effect of CA, we examined the effect of CA on molecular events known as apoptosis induction. CA induced chromatin condensation, DNA fragmentation, sub-G(1) phase DNA, activation of caspase-3, -8 and -9 and the cleavage of PARP in HL-60. CA also activated Bid and Bax, leading to the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (∆ψ(m)) and cytochrome c release into the cytosol, whereas Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL were unaffected by CA. These results suggest that CA has an anti-proliferative effect on leukemia cells via the induction of apoptosis mediated by mitochondrial dysfunction and caspase activation. CA may be a potential chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of human leukemia.International Journal of Molecular Sciences 01/2013; 14(2):4106-20. · 2.60 Impact Factor -
Article: Antiaging active natural products.
Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 01/2013; 2013:685675. · 4.77 Impact Factor -
Article: New minor glycoside components from saffron.
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ABSTRACT: Phytochemical investigation of the stigmas of Crocus sativus resulted in the isolation of eight glycosides (1-8) including a new safranal glycoside (2) and a new carotenoid pigment (6). The structures of the new compounds were identified as (4R)-4-hydroxy-2,6,6-trimethylcyclohex-1-enecarbaldehyde 4-O-[β-D-glucopyranosyl(1 → 3)-β-D-glucopyranoside] (2) and trans-crocetin-1-al 1-O-β-gentiobiosyl ester (6) on the basis of extensive chemical and spectroscopic evidence.Journal of Natural Medicines 11/2012; · 1.39 Impact Factor
