Cytotoxic Effect of Rosmarinus officinalis Extract on Glioblastoma and Rhabdomyosarcoma Cell Lines.

Rosmarinus officinalis is a well-studied plant, known for its therapeutic properties. However, its biological activity against several diseases is not known in detail. The aim of this study is to present new data regarding the cytotoxic activity of a hydroethanolic extract of Rosmarinus officinalis on glioblastoma (A172) and rhabdomyosarcoma (TE671) cancer cell lines. The chemical composition of the extract is evaluated using liquid chromatography combined with time-of-flight mass spectrometry, alongside its total phenolic content and antioxidant activity. The extract showed a promising time- and dose-dependent cytotoxic activity against both cell lines. The lowest IC50 values for both cell lines were calculated at 72 h after treatment and correspond to 0.249 ± 1.09 mg/mL for TE671 cell line and 0.577 ± 0.98 mg/mL for A172 cell line. The extract presented high phenolic content, equal to 35.65 ± 0.03 mg GAE/g of dry material as well as a strong antioxidant activity. The IC50 values for the antioxidant assays were estimated at 12.8 ± 2.7 µg/mL (DPPH assay) and 6.98 ± 1.9 µg/mL (ABTS assay). The compound detected in abundance was carnosol, a phenolic diterpene, followed by the polyphenol rosmarinic acid, while the presence of phenolic compounds such as rhamnetin glucoside, hesperidin, cirsimaritin was notable. These preliminary results suggest that R. officinalis is a potential, alternative source of bioactive compounds to further examine for abilities against glioblastoma and rhabdomyosarcoma.

Antioxidant Properties of Crocus Sativus L. and Its Constituents and Relevance to Neurodegenerative Diseases; Focus on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease.

BACKGROUND: Reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species, which are collectively called reactive oxygen-nitrogen species, are the inevitable by-products of cellular metabolic redox reactions, such as oxidative phosphorylation in the mitochondrial respiratory chain, phagocytosis, reactions of biotransformation of exogenous and endogenous substrata in endoplasmic reticulum, eicosanoid synthesis, and redox reactions in the presence of metal with variable valence. Among medicinal plants, there is growing interest in Crocus Sativus L. It is a perennial, stemless herb, belonging to Iridaceae family, cultivated in various countries such as Greece, Italy, Spain, Israel, Morocco, Turkey, Iran, India, China, Egypt and Mexico. OBJECTIVE: The present study aims to address the protective role of Crocus Sativus L. in neurodegeneration with an emphasis in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An electronic literature search was conducted by two of the authors from 1993 to August 2017. Original articles and systematic reviews (with or without meta-analysis), as well as case reports were selected. Titles and abstracts of papers were screened by a third reviewer to determine whether they met the eligibility criteria, and full texts of the selected articles were retrieved. RESULTS: Hence, the authors focused on the literature concerning the role of Crocus Sativus L. on its anti-oxidant and neuroprotective properties. CONCLUSION: Literature findings represented in current review herald promising results for using Crocus Sativus L. and/or its active constituents as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective agents.

The Protective Role of Crocus Sativus L. (Saffron) Against Ischemia- Reperfusion Injury, Hyperlipidemia and Atherosclerosis: Nature Opposing Cardiovascular Diseases.

BACKGROUND: Reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species, which are collectively called reactive oxygen-nitrogen species, are inevitable by-products of cellular metabolic redox reactions, such as oxidative phosphorylation in the mitochondrial respiratory chain, phagocytosis, reactions of biotransformation of exogenous and endogenous substrate in endoplasmic reticulum, eicosanoid synthesis, and redox reactions in the presence of metal with variable valence. Among medicinal plants, there is growing interest in Crocus Sativus L. It is a perennial, stemless herb, belonging to Iridaceae family, cultivated in various countries such as Greece, Italy, Spain, Israel, Morocco, Turkey, Iran, India, China, Egypt and Mexico. OBJECTIVE: The present study aims to address the anti-toxicant role of Crocus Sativus L. in the case of cardiovascular disease and its role towards the cardioprotective role of Crocus Sativus L. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An electronic literature search was conducted by the two authors from 1993 to August 2017. Original articles and systematic reviews (with or without meta-analysis), as well as case reports were selected. Titles and abstracts of papers were screened by a third reviewer to determine whether they met the eligibility criteria, and full texts of the selected articles were retrieved. RESULTS: Our review has indicated that scientific literature confirms the role of Crocus Sativus L. as a cardiovascular-protective agent. The literature review showed that Saffron is a potent cardiovascular- protective agent with a plethora of applications ranging from ischemia-reperfusion injury, diabetes and hypertension to hyperlipidemia. CONCLUSION: Literature findings represented in current review herald promising results for using Crocus Sativus L. and/or its active constituents as a cardiovascular-protective agent and in particular, Crocus Sativus L. manifests beneficial results against ischemia-reperfusion injury, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and diabetes.

Tumor-Suppressing Properties of Crocus sativus L.: Nature as an Anti-Cancer Agent.

Cancer is a growing problem because it is a chronic disease that affects, not only patient health, but also its daily living. Concurrent cancer therapies have ameliorated cancer prevalence, but the severity and frequency of toxicity and side effects during therapy have led the scientific community to rediscover the possible therapeutic effectiveness of herbs and spices. Crocus sativus L., commonly known as saffron, has been used in folk medicine for centuries. Today, data from numerous in vivo and in vitro studies support its anti-cancer activity, making it a promising anti-cancer agent for study. In the present review, we focus on the anti-cancer activity of C. sativus and its derivates. Medications that are currently used as chemotherapeutic or anti-cancer agents are associated with side effects whether used at effective doses or at levels that exceed the therapeutic dose. Therefore, many cancer survivors suffer from serious and even life-threatening long- or short-term sequelae, so the development of alternative/coadjutant drugs is imperative.