Potential Nutraceutical Benefits of In Vivo Grown Saffron (<i>Crocus sativus</i> L.) As Analgesic, Anti-inflammatory, Anticoagulant, and Antidepressant in Mice
Asif Khan,
Nur Airina Muhamad,
Hammad Ismail,
Abdul Nasir,
Atif Ali Khan Khalil,
Yasir Anwar,
Zahid Khan,
Amjad Ali,
Rosna Mat Taha,
Baker Al-Shara,
Sara Latif,
Bushra Mirza,
Yousef Abdal Jalil Fadladdin,
Isam Mohamed Abu Zeid,
Saed Ayidh Al-Thobaiti
Affiliations
Asif Khan
Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Nur Airina Muhamad
Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Hammad Ismail
Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Gujrat, Gujrat 50700, Pakistan
Abdul Nasir
Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwan 16499, Korea
Atif Ali Khan Khalil
Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan
Yasir Anwar
Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 54229, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Zahid Khan
Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal Urdu University of Arts Science and Technology, Karachi 75300, Pakistan
Amjad Ali
Department of Botany, University of Malakand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 18800, Pakistan
Rosna Mat Taha
Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Baker Al-Shara
Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Sara Latif
Department of Biochemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
Bushra Mirza
Department of Biochemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
Yousef Abdal Jalil Fadladdin
Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 54229, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Isam Mohamed Abu Zeid
Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 54229, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Saed Ayidh Al-Thobaiti
Department of Biology, University College Turabah, Taif University, Taif 21995, Saudi Arabia
Crocus sativus, a medicinally important herbaceous plant, has been traditionally used to cure coughs, colds, insomnia, cramps, asthma, and pain. Moreover, the therapeutic applications of saffron include its immunomodulatory and anticancer properties. The current experimental analysis was performed to explore the potential nutraceutical efficacy of corm, leaf, petal, and stigma of saffron ethanolic extracts as analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, and antidepressant using hot plate, carrageenan-induced paw edema, capillary tube and forced swim test, respectively in mice. The results indicated that among all the extracts, stigma ethanolic extract (SEE) represented maximum latency activity (72.85%) and edema inhibition (77.33%) followed by petal ethanolic extract (PEE) with latency activity and edema inhibition of 64.06 and 70.50%, respectively. Corm ethanolic extract (CEE) and leaf ethanolic extract (LEE) displayed mild analgesic activity of 22.40% and 29.07%, respectively. Additionally, LEE (53.29%) and CEE (47.47%) exhibited mild to moderate response against inflammation. The coagulation time of SEE (101.66 s) was almost equivalent to the standard drug, aspirin (101.66 s), suggesting a strong anticoagulant effect followed by PEE (86.5 s). LEE (66.83 s) represented moderate inhibitory effect on coagulation activity while CEE (42.83 s) showed neutral effect. Additionally, PEE and SEE also expressed itself as potential antidepressants with immobility time ≤76.66 s, while CEE (96.50 s) and LEE (106.83 s) indicated moderate to mild antidepressant efficacy. Based on the in vivo activities, saffron extract, particularly SEE and PEE, can be used as a potential nutraceutical and therapeutic agent due to its significant pharmacological activities.
