A-crocin

Fig. 2.22. Chromatograms of methanohwater (50 per cent, v/v) saffron extracts from Mancha (a), Rio (b) and Sierra (c) types, simultaneously recorded at 250, 310 and 440 nm, including 4-nitroaniline as internal standard. The mobile and stationary phases were a linear gradient of methanol-water from 20 to 70 per cent in 50min, and an ODS column, respectively. The flowrate was lml/min, temperature 30°C and sample size 50/jl. The following compounds are present picrocrocin (1), HTCC (2), 3-entiobiosile-kaempferol (3), a-crocin (4), crocin 2 (5), crocin 3 (6), safranal (7), crocin 4 (8), crocin 5 (9), crocin 6(10) and internal standard (I>S.). Reprinted with permission from R Lozano et al. [47].

Bathaie SZ, Kermani FMZ, Shams A. Crocin Bleaching Assay Using Purified Di-gen-tiobiosyl Crocin (a-crocin) from Iranian Saffron. Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences. 2011 14(5) 399-406. 

N.A. Crocine glycosides, beta-carotene, phytoene, phytofluene, pinene, safranal, cineole.100-107 Saffron stomachic, antispasmodic, emmenagogue properties. 

Fig. (8) shows the effects of TNF-a, crocin or their combination on Bcl-2 and Bc1-Xl mRNA levels in PC-12 cells. TNF-a treatment had no effect on the Bc1-Xl mRNA levels at 3 h but significantly decreased the mRNA expression at 18 h, compared to the control (panel A). Crocin (10 pM) alone or its combination with TNF-a appeared to rather enhance the expression of Bc1-Xl mRNA at 3 h. At 18 h, the TNF-a-induced decrease... 

Crocin. 8,8 -Diapo-if/ -carotenedioic acid bisi6-O-0-D-glucopyranosyl-g -D -gtucopyranosyi) ester a-crocin di-gentiobiose ester nf crocetin, mol wt 977,00. 

Crocin is a yellow-orange glycoside that is freely soluble in hot water, slightly soluble in absolute alcohol, glycerol, and propylene glycol, and insoluble in vegetable oils. Crocin melts with decomposition at about 186°C and has absorption maxima in methanol at about 464 nm and 434 nm. 

Watanabe, T. et al., Separation and determination of yellow and red Safflower pigments in food by capillary electrophoresis, Biosci. Biotech. Biochem., 61, 1179, 1997. Fekrat, H., The application of crocin and saffron ethanol-extractable components in formulation of health care and beauty care products. Proceedings of International Symposium on Saffron Biology and Biotechnology, Fernandez, J.A. and Abdullaev, R, Eds., Albacete, Spain, 2004, p. 650. 

FIGURE 3.4 UV-VIS spectra of crocin 3.7 monomers (low concentration of crocin in water, A.=445 nm) and crocin aggregates (high concentration of crocin 3.7 in water, A,=410nm). Monomer-aggregate equilibrium concentration c= 1 mg/mL, cf. cM=0.8mg/mL from tensiometric determination. (Reprinted from Nalum Naess, S. et al., Helv. Chim. Acta, 89, 45, 2006. With permission.)... 

The size of carotenoid aggregates have been determined by dynamic light scattering (DLS), a noninvasive method (Santos and Castanho 1996). DLS also allows distinguishing between spherical or cylindrical aggregates. The hydrodynamic radii rH of hydrophilic carotenoids in water are given in Table 3.1. Size and molecular structure of the bolaamphiphiles crocin, 3.7, and Cardax,... 

Nalum Naess S, Elgsaeter A, Foss BJ, Li BJ, Sliwka HR, Partali V, Mel0 TB, and Naqvi KR. 2006. Hydrophilic carotenoids Surface properties and aggregation of crocin as a biosurfactant. Helvetica Chimica Acta 89(1) 45-53. 

Greek saffron Picrocrocin, safranal, crocins, kaempferol diglucoside Me0H/H20 A MeOH B H20 with AcOH 250, 308, 440 nm/ ESI (+) ESI interface 22... 

These assays measure the level of protection provided to the naturally occurring carotenoid derivative crocin from bleaching by the radical generator AAPH. The assay was originally suggested by Bors and others (1984) and modified by Tubaro and others (1998), who used it to show that plasma antioxidant capacity is deeply influenced by the consumption of wine. The addition of a sample containing chain-breaking antioxidants results in the decrease in the rate of crocin decay. The sample is monitored for 10 min at 443 nm. 

Bors W, Michel C and Saran M. 1984. Inhibition of the bleaching of the carotenoid crocin. A rapid test for quantifying antioxidant activity. Biochim Biophys Acta Lipids Lipid Metab 796(3) 312-319. 

Chemically, crocin is the digentiobioside of crocetin. It is one of the few water-soluble carotenoids to produce a bright yellow shade in water. Unfortunately, crocin is bleached by sulfur dioxide levels above 50 ppm. The heat stability of crocin is good enough to use it in boiled sweets. 

Fig. 2.21. Representative HPLC chromatograms of the extracts of (a) Spanish saffron spiked with standards, (b) Iranian saffron and (c) Zhizi purchased from Nanjing. Peaks 1 = crocin 1 2 = crocin 2 3 = crocin 3 4 = crocin 4 5 = crocetin 6 = lS-cd-retinoic acid (internal standard) 7 and 8 = cw-crocins. Reprinted with permission from N. Li et al. [46],...

Bountagkidoua O, van der Klift EJC, Tsimidou MZ, Ordoudi SA, van Beek TA. An on-line high performance liquid chromatography-crocin bleaching assay for detection of antioxidants. Journal of Chromatography A. 2012 1237 80- 85. 

N.A. Volatile oil, gardenin crocin, geniposide." For fever, irritability and restlessness, insomnia, urination, and jaundice. Treat cystitis, headaches, difficulty in breathing. 

Neuronal cell death is required for the development of the nervous system. However, recent studies suggest that neurons die from programmed cell death (apoptosis) in brains deprived of oxygen by stroke [14] and trauma [15], and in the brains of Alzheimer s patients [16], Therefore, prevention of neuronal apoptosis has been considered to be a desirable therapeutic strategy for treating such neurodegenerative diseases, although the value of this approach is not yet evident. We have recently reported that crocin suppresses tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a-... 

The inset in A is a representative evoked potential recorded from the CA1 pyramidal cell layer. Calibration hards vertical 2 mV, horizontal 10 msec. The population spike amplitude was defined as an average of the amplitude from the first positive peak 1 to the succeeding negative peak 2 and the amplitude from die negative peak 2 to the second positive peak 3. A Time-course of potentiation induced by strong tetanic stimulation in the control slices (O, n=23) and in the slices treated with 30% of ethanol (IS ml/kg) (, n=27 ) and in the slices treated with 30% of ethanol (IS ml/kg) and 20 mg/kg crocin ( A, n-7). (1) and (2) indicated 30% ethanol of IS ml/kg and 10 ml/kg, respectively. Ethanol or crocin was added in the perfusing ACSF from 15 or 20 min, respectively, before tetanic stimulation. The ordinate indicates the population spike amplitude expressed as a percentage of the baseline values immediately before tetanic stimulation. 

The synapic potential mediated by non-NMDA receptors was recorded in normal ACSF. When ethanol (10-50 mM) was added to the perfusing medium, no significant change in non-NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic potential was observed. However, the addition of ethanol at a higher concentration (100 mM) induced a small reduction in non-NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic potential (Fig.(5)A). The reduction in non-NMDA response rapidly occurred after the addition of 100 mM ethanol and reached a steady state within 10 min. After washing out the ethanol, the response gradually returned to the normal level. When 10 pM crocin was added 10 min prior to the ethanol, the non-NMDA response was similarly reduced in the presence of 100 mM ethanol (Fig.(5)B). Crocin (10 pM) did not significantly affect the inhibitory effect of 100 mM ethanol on non-NMDA response (Fig.(5)C) [22],... 

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