Abstract
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and accounts for approximately 8 million deaths per year worldwide. Although there is an increasing number of therapeutic options available for patients with cancer, their efficacy is time-limited and non-curative. Approximately 50-60% cancer patients in the United States utilize agents derived from different parts of plants or nutrients (complementary and alternative medicine), exclusively or concurrently with traditional therapeutic regime such as chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. The need for new drugs has prompted studies evaluating possible anti-cancer agents in fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices. Saffron, a spice and a food colorant present in the dry stigmas of the plant Crocus sativus L., has been used as an herbal remedy for various ailments including cancer by the ancient Arabian, Indian and Chinese cultures. Crocetin, an important carotenoid constituent of saffron, has shown significant potential as an anti-tumor agent in animal models and cell culture systems. Crocetin affects the growth of cancer cells by inhibiting nucleic acid synthesis, enhancing anti-oxidative system, inducing apoptosis and hindering growth factor signaling pathways. This review discusses the studies on cancer preventive potential of crocetin and its future use as an anticancer agent.
Keywords: Cancer, carotenoids, chemoprevention, crocetin, saffron, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, food colorant, dry stigmas of the plant Crocus sativus L., herbal remedy, inhibiting nucleic acid synthesis, hindering growth factor signaling pathways, of mortality
Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
Title: Crocetin: an Agent Derived from Saffron for Prevention and Therapy for Cancer
Volume: 13 Issue: 1
Author(s): William G. Gutheil, Gregory Reed, Amitabha Ray, Shrikant Anant and Animesh Dhar
Affiliation:
Keywords: Cancer, carotenoids, chemoprevention, crocetin, saffron, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, food colorant, dry stigmas of the plant Crocus sativus L., herbal remedy, inhibiting nucleic acid synthesis, hindering growth factor signaling pathways, of mortality
Abstract: Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and accounts for approximately 8 million deaths per year worldwide. Although there is an increasing number of therapeutic options available for patients with cancer, their efficacy is time-limited and non-curative. Approximately 50-60% cancer patients in the United States utilize agents derived from different parts of plants or nutrients (complementary and alternative medicine), exclusively or concurrently with traditional therapeutic regime such as chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. The need for new drugs has prompted studies evaluating possible anti-cancer agents in fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices. Saffron, a spice and a food colorant present in the dry stigmas of the plant Crocus sativus L., has been used as an herbal remedy for various ailments including cancer by the ancient Arabian, Indian and Chinese cultures. Crocetin, an important carotenoid constituent of saffron, has shown significant potential as an anti-tumor agent in animal models and cell culture systems. Crocetin affects the growth of cancer cells by inhibiting nucleic acid synthesis, enhancing anti-oxidative system, inducing apoptosis and hindering growth factor signaling pathways. This review discusses the studies on cancer preventive potential of crocetin and its future use as an anticancer agent.
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Cite this article as:
G. Gutheil William, Reed Gregory, Ray Amitabha, Anant Shrikant and Dhar Animesh, Crocetin: an Agent Derived from Saffron for Prevention and Therapy for Cancer, Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology 2012; 13 (1) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138920112798868566
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138920112798868566 |
Print ISSN 1389-2010 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-4316 |
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