Biochemical, Antioxidant and Antineoplastic Properties of Italian Saffron (Crocus sativus L.)

Angelo Gismondi, Mariagiovanna Serio, Lorena Canuti, Antonella Canini

Department of Biology, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Roma, Italy..

DOI: 10.4236/ajps.2012.311190                

Abstract

Saffron, the most expensive spice in the world, is got by Crocus sativus L. stigmas. The production of this substance has attracted human interest, since ancient cultures, for its medicinal and culinary properties. Because of saffron high economic value, sometimes, since Middle Ages, it is adulterated with other vegetal materials, dyes or synthetic molecules. Object of this work was the study of one of the best world saffron: Civitaretenga (AQ, Central Italy) C. sativus. Taste, color and aroma of Civitaretenga spice were determined, according to international standards (ISO/Technical Specification 3632), to define its high quality. A biochemical approach was then applied to obtain a secondary metabolite profile of this product. So, crocins, total phenolic content, flavonoids and phenolic acids were detected by HPLC-DAD and spectrophotometric analysis. Moreover, in vitro antioxidant properties and in vivo antineoplastic effects, on highly metastatic murine B16-F10 melanoma cell line, were successfully revealed in Civitaretenga C. sativus extract. All these data confirmed the elevated quality of Civitaretenga saffron and its highly reducing and chemopreventive activity.

Keywords

Crocus sativus L.; Saffron; Plant Secondary Metabolites; Antioxidant; Antineoplastic

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	B. Mathew, “The Crocuses: A Revision of the Genus Crocus (Iridaceous),” B. T. Batsford, London, 1982.
[2]	M. GrilliCaiola and A. Canini, “Looking for Saffron’s (Crocus sativus L.) Parents,” Functional Plant Science and Biotechnology, Vol. 4, No. 2, 2010, pp. 1-14.
[3]	G. Chichiriccò, “Sterility and Perspectives for Genetic Improvement of Crocus sativus L.,” In: M. Negbi, Ed., Saffron, Harwood Academic Publisher, Amsterdam, 1999, pp. 127-135.
[4]	M. GrilliCaiola, “Saffron Reproductive Biology,” Acta Horticulturae, Vol. 650, 2004, pp. 25-37.
[5]	M. GrilliCaiola, “Embryo Origin and Development in Crocus sativus L. (Iridaceae),” Plant Biosystems, Vol. 139, No. 3, 2005, pp. 335-343. doi:10.1080/11263500500340763
[6]	F. Gresta, “Saffron, an Alternative Crop for Sustainable Agricultural Systems. A Review,” Agronomy for Sustainable Development, Vol. 28, 2007, pp. 95-112. doi:10.1051/agro:2007030
[7]	K. Sano and H. Himeno, “In Vitro Proliferation of Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) Stigma,” Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture, Vol. 11, 1987, pp. 159-166. doi:10.1007/BF00040422
[8]	S. R. Sampathu, S. Shivashankar and Y. S. Lewis, “Saffron (Crocus sativus L.): Cultivation, Processing, Chemistry and Standardization,” Critical Review in Food Science and Nutrition, Vol. 20, 1984, pp. 123-157. doi:10.1080/10408398409527386
[9]	P. Lonzano, M. R. Castellar, M. J. Simancas and J. L. Ibora, “A Quantitative High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Method to Analyze Commercial Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) Products,” Journal of Chromatography, Vol. 830, 1999, pp. 477-483. doi:10.1016/S0021-9673(98)00938-8
[10]	M. C. Delgrado, A. Z. Aramburu and G. L. A. Dìaz-Marta, “The Chemical Composition of Saffron: Color, Taste and Aroma,” Editorial Bomarzo, Albacete, 2006.
[11]	P. A. Tarantilis, G. Tsoupras and M. G. Polissiou, “Determination of Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) Components in Crude Plant Extract Using High Performance Liquid Chromatography-UV-Visibile Photodiode-Array Detection-Mass Spectrometry,” Journal of Chromatography, Vol. 699, 1995, pp. 107-118. doi:10.1016/0021-9673(95)00044-N
[12]	G. L. Alonso, M. A. Sánchez, M. R. Salinas and F. J. Esteban-Infantes, “Kinetics of the Loss of Color Power in Saffron Extract at Different Temperatures,” 9th Congreso Nacional de Química Sevilla, Espa?a, 1993.
[13]	H. Pfander and H. Schurterbeger, “Biosynthesis of C20-Carotenoids in Crocus sativus,” Phytochemistry, Vol. 21, 1982, pp. 1039-1042. doi:10.1016/S0031-9422(00)82412-7
[14]	N. I. Vavilov, “The Origin, Variation, Immunity and Breeding of Cultivated Plants,” The Cronica Botanica, Co., Waltham, 1951.
[15]	F. Tammaro, “Crocus sativus L.—cv. Piano di Navelli (L’Aquila Saffron): Environment, Cultivation, Morphometric Characteristics, Active Principle, Uses,” In: F. Tammaro and L. Marra, Eds., Proceedings of the International Conference on Saffron (Crocus sativus L.), L’Aquila, 1990, pp. 47-57.
[16]	F. I. Abdullaev, J. Espinosa and J. Aguirre, “Biomedical Properties of Saffron and Its Potential Use in Cancer Therapy and Chemoprevention Trials,” Cancer Detection and Prevention, Vol. 28, No. 6, 2004, pp. 426-432. doi:10.1016/j.cdp.2004.09.002
[17]	J. Tavakkol-Afshari, A. Brook and S. H. Mousavi, “Study of Cytotoxic and Apoptogenic Properties of Saffron Extract in Human Cancer Cell Lines,” Food and Chemical Toxicology, Vol. 46, No. 11, 2008, pp. 3443-3447. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2008.08.018
[18]	J. M. Maish, “On the Adulteration of Saffron,” The Analyst, 1885, pp. 200-203. doi:10.1039/an8851000200
[19]	M. Carmona and G. L. Alonso, “Advances in the Control of Saffron Quality,” 1st International Symposium on Saffron Biology and Biotechnology, Albacete, 27 October 2003, pp. 26-27.
[20]	"ISO/Technical Specification 3632,” 2003. http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_ics/catalogue_detail_ics.htm?ics1=67&ics2=220&ics3=10&csnumber=44523
[21]	A. Zalacain, S. A. Ordoudi, E. M. Diaz-Plaza, M. Carmona, I. Blazquez, M. Z. Tsimidou and G. L. Alonso, “Near-Infrared Spectroscopy in Saffron Quality Control: Determination of Chemical Composition and Geographical Origin,” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Vol. 53, 2005, pp. 9337-9341. doi:10.1021/jf050846s
[22]	H. Caballero-Ortega, R. Pereda-Miranda and F. I. Abdullaev, “HPLC Quantification of Major Active Components from 11 Different Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) Sources,” Food Chemistry, Vol. 100, 2007, pp. 1126-1131. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2005.11.020
[23]	L. Sabatino, M. Scordino, M. Gargano, A. Belligno, P. Traulo and G. Gagliano, “HPLC/PDA/ESI-MS Evaluation of Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) Adulteration,” Natural Product Communication, Vol. 6, No. 12, 2011, pp. 1873-1876.
[24]	M. Carmona, A. M. Sanchez, F. Ferreres, A. Zalacain, F. Tomas-Berberan and G. L. Alonso, “Identification of the Flavonoid Fraction in Saffron Spice by LC/DAD/MS/MS: Comparative Study of Samples from Different Geographical Origin,” Food Chemistry, Vol. 100, 2007, pp. 445-450. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2005.09.065
[25]	A. Termentzi and E. Kokkalou, “LC-DAD-MS (ESI+) Analysis and Antioxidant Capacity of Crocus sativus Petal Extracts,” Planta Medica, Vol. 74, No. 5, 2008, pp. 573-581. doi:10.1055/s-2008-1074498
[26]	V. L. Singleton and J. A. Rossi Jr., “Colorimetry of Total Phenolics with Phosphomolybdic-Phosphotungstic Acid Reagents,” American Journal of Enology and Viticulture, Vol. 16, 1965, pp. 144-158.
[27]	G. L. Alonso, M. R. Salinas, J. Garijo and M. A. Sànchez, “Composition of Crocins and Picrocrocins from Spanish Saffron (Crocus sativus L.),” Food Quality, Vol. 24, No. 3, 2001, pp. 219-233. doi:10.1111/j.1745-4557.2001.tb00604.x
[28]	E. Pichichero, L. Canuti, and A. Canini, “Characterisation of the Phenolic and Flavonoid Fractions and Antioxidant Power of Italian Honeys of Different Botanical Origin,” Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, Vol. 89, No. 4, 2009, pp. 609-616. doi:10.1002/jsfa.3484
[29]	W. Brand-Williams, M. E. Cuvelier and C. Berset, “Use of a Free Radical Method to Evaluate Antioxidant Activity,” Food Science and Techonology, Vol. 28, No. 1, 1995, pp. 25-30.
[30]	I. F. F. Benzie and J. J. Strain, “The Ferric Reducing Ability of Plasma (FRAP) as a Measure of ‘Antioxidant Power’: The FRAP Assay,” Analytical Biochemistry, Vol. 239, No. 1, 1996, pp. 70-76. doi:10.1006/abio.1996.0292
[31]	A. Wojdylo, J. Oszmianski and R. Czemerys, “Antioxidant Activity and Phenolic Compounds in 32 Selected Herbs,” Food Chemistry, Vol. 105, No. 3, 2007, pp. 940-949. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2007.04.038
[32]	I. J. Fidler, “Selection of Successive Tumor Cell Lines for Metastasis,” Nature, Vol. 245, 1973, pp. 148-149.
[33]	M. Negbi, “Saffron Cultivation: Past, Present and Future Prospects,” In: M. Negbi, Ed., Saffron Crocus sativus L., Harwood Academic Publishers, Amsterdam, 1999, pp. 1-19.
[34]	M. Bolandi, F. Shahidi, N. Sedaghat, R. Farhoush and H. Mousavi-Nik, “Shelf-Life Determination of Saffron Stigma: Water Activity and Temperature Studies,” World Applied Sciences Journal, Vol. 5, No. 2, 2008, pp. 132-136.
[35]	P. Winterhalter and M. Straubinger, “Saffron-Renewed Interest in an Ancient Spice,” Food Reviews International, Vol. 16, 2000, pp. 39-59. doi:10.1081/FRI-100100281
[36]	M. Bajpai, A. Mishra and D. Prakash, “Antioxidant and Free Radical Scavenging Activities of Some Leafy Vegetables,” International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, Vol. 56, No. 7, 2005, pp. 473-481. doi:10.1080/09637480500524299
[37]	S. A. Ordoudi, C. D. Befani, N. Nenadis, G. G. Koliakos and M. Z. Tsimidou, “Further Examination of Antiradical Properties of Crocus sativus Stigmas Extract Rich in Crocins,” Journal Agricultural Food Chemistry, Vol. 57, No. 8, 2009, pp. 3080-3086. doi:10.1021/jf804041g
[38]	M. Sengul, H. Yildiz, N. Gungor, B. Cetin, Z. Eser and S. Ercisli, “Total Phenolic Content, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Some Medicinal Plants,” Pakistan Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vol. 22, No. 1, 2009, pp. 102-106.
[39]	S.-C. Ho and P.-W. Chang, “Inhibitory Effects of Several Spices on Inflammation Caused by Advanced Glycation End Products,” American Journal of Plant Sciences, Vol. 3, 2012, pp. 995-1002. doi:10.4236/ajps.2012.327118
[40]	M. A. Papandreou, C. D. Kanakis, M. G. Polissiou, S. Efthimiopoulos, P. Cordopatis, M. Margary and F. N. Lamari, “Inhibitory Activity on Amyloid-β-Aggregation and Antioxidant Properties of Crocus sativus Stigmas Extract and Its Crocin Constituents,” Journal Agricultural Food Chemistry, Vol. 54, 2006, pp. 8162-8168. doi:10.1021/jf061932a
[41]	D. G. Chryssanthi, F. N. Lamari, G. Iatrou, A. Pylara, K. N. Karamanos and P. Cordopatis, “Inhibition of Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation by Style Constituents of Different Crocus Species,” Anticancer Research, Vol. 27, No. 1, 2007, pp. 357-362.
[42]	A. Gismondi, A. Lentini, C. Tabolacci, B. Provenzano and S. Beninati, “Transglutaminase-Dependent Antiproliferative and Differentiative Properties of Nimesulide on B16-F10 Mouse Melanoma Cells,” Amino Acids, Vol. 38, 2010, pp. 257-262. doi:10.1007/s00726-009-0244-9