Toxicol In Vitro - ۲۰۰۳

Saffron is harvested from the dried, dark red stigmas of Crocus sativus L. flowers. It is used as a spice for flavoring and coloring food and as a perfume. It is often used for treating several diseases. We assessed the antimutagenic, comutagenic and cytotoxic effects of saffron and its main ingredients using the Ames/Salmonella test system, two well known mutagens (BP, ۲AA), the in vitro colony formation assay and four different cultured human normal (CCD-۱۸Lu) and malignant (HeLa, A-۲۰۴ and HepG۲) cells. When only using the TA۹۸ strain in the Ames/Salmonella test system, saffron showed non-mutagenic, as well as non-antimutagenic activity against BP-induced mutagenicity, and demonstrated a dose-dependent co-mutagenic effect on ۲-AA-induced mutagenicity. The saffron component responsible for this unusual comutagenic effect was safranal. In the in vitro colony formation test system, saffron displayed a dose-dependent inhibitory effect only against human malignant cells. All isolated carotenoid ingredients of saffron demonstrated cytotoxic activity against in vitro tumor cells. Saffron crocin derivatives possessed a stronger inhibitory effect on tumor cell colony formation. Overall, these results suggest that saffron itself, as well as its carotenoid components might be used as potential cancer chemopreventive agents.