Pharmacological Potential and Chemical Composition of <i>Crocus sativus</i> Leaf Extracts
Olha Mykhailenko,
Vilma Petrikaite,
Michal Korinek,
Fang-Rong Chang,
Mohamed El-Shazly,
Chia-Hung Yen,
Ivan Bezruk,
Bing-Hung Chen,
Chung-Fan Hsieh,
Dmytro Lytkin,
Liudas Ivanauskas,
Victoriya Georgiyants,
Tsong-Long Hwang
Affiliations
Olha Mykhailenko
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, National University of Pharmacy of Ministry of Health of Ukraine, 4-Valentinivska St., 61168 Kharkiv, Ukraine
Vilma Petrikaite
Laboratory of Drug Targets Histopathology, Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Sukilėlių pr. 13, LT-50162 Kaunas, Lithuania
Michal Korinek
Graduate Institute of Natural Products, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
Fang-Rong Chang
Graduate Institute of Natural Products, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
Mohamed El-Shazly
Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain-Shams University, Organization of African Unity Street, Abassia, Cairo 11566, Egypt
Chia-Hung Yen
Graduate Institute of Natural Products, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
Ivan Bezruk
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, National University of Pharmacy of Ministry of Health of Ukraine, 4-Valentinivska St., 61168 Kharkiv, Ukraine
Bing-Hung Chen
Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
Chung-Fan Hsieh
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan
Dmytro Lytkin
Educational and Scientific Institute of Applied Pharmacy, National University of Pharmacy of Ministry of Health of Ukraine, 12-Kylikivska St., 61000 Kharkiv, Ukraine
Liudas Ivanauskas
Department of Analytical and Toxicological Chemistry, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, A. Mickevičiaus g. 9, LT-44307 Kaunas, Lithuania
Victoriya Georgiyants
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, National University of Pharmacy of Ministry of Health of Ukraine, 4-Valentinivska St., 61168 Kharkiv, Ukraine
Tsong-Long Hwang
Graduate Institute of Natural Products, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan
Crocus sativus L. (saffron) has been traditionally used as a food coloring or flavoring agent, but recent research has shown its potent pharmacological activity to tackle several health-related conditions. Crocus sp. leaves, and petals are the by-products of saffron production and are not usually used in the medicine or food industries. The present study was designed to determine the chemical composition of the water and ethanolic extracts of C. sativus leaves and test their cytotoxic activity against melanoma (IGR39) and triple-negative breast cancer (MDA-MB-231) cell lines by MTT assay. We also determined their anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral activities. HPLC fingerprint analysis showed the presence of 16 compounds, including hydroxycinnamic acids, xanthones, flavonoids, and isoflavonoids, which could contribute to the extracts’ biological activities. For the first time, compounds such as tectoridin, iristectorigenin B, nigricin, and irigenin were identified in Crocus leaf extracts. The results showed that mangiferin (up to 2 mg/g dry weight) and isoorientin (8.5 mg/g dry weight) were the major active ingredients in the leaf extracts. The ethanolic extract reduced the viability of IGR39 and MDA-MB-231 cancer cells with EC50 = 410 ± 100 and 330 ± 40 µg/mL, respectively. It was more active than the aqueous extract. Kaempferol and quercetin were identified as the most active compounds. Our results showed that Crocus leaves contain secondary metabolites with potent cytotoxic and antioxidant activities.
