Crocin & Saffron News
Here you can find the most recent news about our product developments and crocin/saffron related research publications.
Our Product News
Jan. 2017: Published “A Perspective on Crocus sativus L. (Saffron) Constituent Crocin: A Potent Water-Soluble Antioxidant and Potential Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease” J. Agric. Food Chem. 2017, 65, 1005−1020.
Mar. 2016: FDA issued Certificate of Free Sale for Products: CROCIN RICH, CROCIN RICH II and CROCIN RICH plus.
Dec. 2015: US patent 9,211,298 was issued for our product
Sep. 2015: FDA reviewed and approved (NO Objection) Crocin Rich®, the purified natural crocin ingredient, as a new dietary ingredient (NDI) for product application. Crocin is the only water-soluble carotenoid in nature, a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent.
Crocin and Saffron Research Publications
6/2020 Immunoregulatory Effects of Krocina™, a Herbal Medicine Made of Crocin, on Osteoarthritis Patients: A Successful Clinical Trial in Iran. Iran J Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2020, 19(3): 253-263.
5/2020 Effects of crocin and saffron aqueous extract on gene expression of SIRT1, AMPK, LOX1, NF-κB, and MCP-1 in patients with coronary artery disease: A randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial. Phytother Res. 2020, 34(5): 1114-1122.
5/2020 Pharmacological Effects of Saffron and Its Constituents in Ocular Disorders From in Vitro Studies to Clinical Trials; A Systematic Review. Curr Neuropharmacol. 2020 May 6. doi: 10.2174/1570159X18666200507083346.
4/2020 Effects of saffron supplementation on glycemia and inflammation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial study. Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews. Available online 29 April 2020
3/2020 The effects of crocus sativus extract on serum lipid profile and liver enzymes in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A randomized placebo-controlled study. Obesity Medicine. Volume 17, March 2020, 100165
3/2020 Effect of crocin on antioxidant gene expression, fibrinolytic parameters, redox status and blood biochemistry in nicotinamide-streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. J of Biol Res-Thessaloniki, 2020, 27, 4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40709-020-00114-5
2/2020 The effect of saffron supplement on clinical outcomes and metabolic profiles in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis: A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled clinical trial. Phytother. Res. 2020, https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.6633
2/2020 Effects of Saffron on Sleep Quality in Healthy Adults With Self-Reported Poor Sleep: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2020, https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.8376
2/2020 Cytotoxic and osteogenic effects of crocin and bicarbonate from calcium phosphates for potential chemopreventative and anti-inflammatory applications in vitro and in vivo. J Mater Chem B. 2020, 8(10):2048-2062.
1/2020 Crocin: a protective natural antioxidant against pulmonary fibrosis induced by bleomycin. Pharmacol. Rep (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43440-019-00023-y
1/2020 Crocin attenuates isoprenaline-induced myocardial fibrosis by targeting TLR4/NF-κB signaling: connecting oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology, 2020, 393: 13–23
1/2020 Beneficial effects of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) in ocular pathologies, particularly neurodegenerative retinal diseases. Neural Regen Res. 2020, 15(8): 1408-1416.
1/2020 Neuroprotective effect of crocin against rotenone-induced Parkinson's disease in rats: Interplay between PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway and enhanced expression of miRNA-7 and miRNA-221. Neuropharmacology. 2020, 164: 107900
1/2020 Crocin prevents metabolic syndrome in rats via enhancing PPAR-gamma and AMPK. Saudi Journal of BiologicalSciences,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjbs.2020.01.004
12/2019 Effects of crocin in reducing DNA damage, inflammation, and oxidative stress in multiple sclerosis patients: A double-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled trial. J Biochem Mol Toxicol. 2019 Dec;33(12):e22410. doi: 10.1002/jbt.22410.
11/2019 Evaluation of the effectiveness of crocin isolated from saffron in treatment of burning mouth syndrome: A randomized controlled trial. Avicenna J Phytomed, 2019; 9(6): 505-516
10/2019 Effects Of Saffron Supplementation On Inflammation And Metabolic Responses In Type 2 Diabetic Patients: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity: Targets and Therapy 2019, 12: 2107–2115
6/2019 Protective properties of the aqueous extract of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) in ischemic stroke, randomized clinical trial. J Ethnopharm. 2019, 238, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2019.111833
5/2019 Effects of saffron on homocysteine, and antioxidant and inflammatory biomarkers levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized double-blind clinical trial. Avicenna J Phytomed, 2019. Epub ahead of print.
5/2019 Evaluation of the effectiveness of crocin isolated from saffron in treatment of burning mouth syndrome: A randomized controlled trial. Avicenna J Phytomed, 2019. Epub ahead of print.
5/2019 Crocin, a carotenoid, suppresses spindle microtubule dynamics and activates the mitotic checkpoint by binding to tubulin. Biochemical Pharmacology. 2019, 163: 32-45.
4/2019 Crocus sativus L. Versus Methylphenidate in Treatment of Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Randomized, Double-Blind Pilot Study. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. 2019, 29(3). https://doi.org/10.1089/cap.2018.0146
4/2019 Saffron: The Golden Spice with Therapeutic Properties on Digestive Diseases. Nutrients 2019, 11, 943; doi:10.3390/nu11050943.
4/2019 Beneficial Effects of Physical Activity and Crocin Against Adolescent Stress Induced Anxiety or Depressive-Like Symptoms and Dendritic Morphology Remodeling in Prefrontal Cortex in Adult Male Rats. Neurochemical Research. 2019, 44(4): 917–929.
3/2019 Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) in Ocular Diseases: A Narrative Review of the Existing Evidence from Clinical Studies. Nutrients. 2019, 11, 649; doi:10.3390/nu11030649
3/2019 Protective properties of the aqueous extract of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) in ischemic stroke, randomized clinical trial. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. Available online 23 March 2019, 111833
3/2019 Crocin may be useful to prevent or treatment of alcohol induced neurodegeneration and neurobehavioral sequels via modulation of CREB/BDNF and Akt/GSK signaling pathway. Medical Hypotheses. 2019, 124: 21-25.
3/2019 The Crocus sativus Compounds trans-Crocin 4 and trans-Crocetin Modulate the Amyloidogenic Pathway and Tau Misprocessing in Alzheimer Disease Neuronal Cell Culture Models. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2019, https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2019.00249.
3/2019 Crocin inhibits the migration, invasion, and epithelial‐mesenchymal transition of gastric cancer cells via miR‐320/KLF5/HIF‐1α signaling. J Cell Phys. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcp.28418.
2/2019 The effects of crocin on psychological parameters in patients under methadone maintenance treatment: a randomized clinical trial. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. 2019; 14: 9. doi: 10.1186/s13011-019-0198-1
2/2019 An evaluation of the effects of saffron supplementation on the asthma clinical symptoms and asthma severity in patients with mild and moderate persistent allergic asthma: a double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial. Respiratory Research. 2019, 20:39.
2/2019 Crocin-protected malathion-induced spatial memory deficits by inhibiting TAU protein hyperphosphorylation and antiapoptotic effects. Nutritional Neuroscience. 2019, https://doi.org/10.1080/1028415X.2018.1492772
2/2019 Crocin Acts as a Neuroprotective Agent against Methamphetamine-induced Neurodegeneration via CREB-BDNF Signaling Pathway. IJPR. 2019, DOI: 10.22037/IJPR.2019.2393
2/2019 Crocin as a novel therapeutic agent against colitis. Drug and Chemical Toxicology. 2019, https://doi.org/10.1080/01480545.2018.1527850.
1/2019 Saffron therapy for the treatment of mild/moderate age-related macular degeneration: a randomised clinical trial. Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology. 2019, 257(1): 31–40.
1/2019 Pretreatment with crocin along with treadmill exercise ameliorates motor and memory deficits in hemiparkinsonian rats by anti-inflammatory and antioxidant mechanisms. Metabolic Brain Disease, 2019, 34(2): 459-468.
1/2019 The effects of crocin on spatial memory impairment induced by hyoscine: Role of NMDA, AMPA, ERK and CaMKII proteins in rat hippocampus. Iran J Basic Med Sci 2019; 22:1-9.
1/2019 Investigation of the neuroprotective effects of crocin via antioxidant activities in HT22 cells and in mice with Alzheimer’s disease. Intl J Mol Med. 2019, 43: 956-966.
1/2019 Therapeutic potency of crocin in the treatment of inflammatory diseases: Current status and perspective. J Cell Phys. 2019 https://doi.org/10.1002/jcp.28177.
1/2019 The Efficacy of Saffron in the Treatment of Mild to Moderate Depression: A Meta-analysis. Planta Med 2019; 85(01): 24-31.
12/2018 Crocin inhibits apoptosis and astrogliosis of hippocampus neurons against methamphetamine neurotoxicity via antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. Neurochemical Research. 2018, 43(12): 2252–2259.
12/2018 Effects of Combined Crocin and Epirubicin on Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Pathways in a Human Cervical Cancer Cell Line. Int J Cancer Manag. 2018, 11(12): e82575.
11/2018 Effects of crocin on cognitive and spatial memories in rats under chronic isolation stress. Physiology and Pharmacology. 2018, 22: 254-268
11/2018 Antiviral Effects of Saffron and its Major Ingredients. Current Drug Delivery. 2018, 15(5): 698-704
10/2018 Effect of Crocin, Exercise, and Crocin-accompanied Exercise on Learning and Memory in Rats under Chronic Unpredictable Stress. Adv Biomed Res. 2018; 7: 137. doi: 10.4103/abr.abr_153_18.
10/2018 The effect of crocin on total sleep-deprivation induced amnesia in male Wistar rats. Journal of Paramedical Sciences. 2018, 9(4). ISSN 2008-4978
10/2018 Neuroprotection against CCl4 induced brain damage with crocin in Wistar rats. Biotechnic & Histochemistry. 2018, 93(8). https://doi.org/10.1080/10520295.2018.1519725.
9/2018 Treatment with crocin improves cardiac dysfunction by normalizing autophagy and inhibiting apoptosis in STZ-induced diabetic cardiomyopathy. Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases. 2018, 28(9): 952–961
9/2018 Crocin, a natural product attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced anxiety and depressive-like behaviors through suppressing NF-kB and NLRP3 signaling pathway. Brain Research Bulletin. 2018, 142: 352-359.
8/2018 Effects of Crocins in the Management of Neurodegenerative Pathologies: A Review. Neurophysiology. 2018, 50(4): 302–308
8/2018 Effects of the active constituents of Crocus sativus L. crocins and their combination with memantine on recognition memory in rats. Behavioural Pharmacology. 2018, 29(5): 400-412.
6/2018 Effects of Crocin on Diabetic Maculopathy: A Placebo-Controlled Randomized Clinical Trial. Am J of Ophth. 2018, 190: 89-98
5/2018 Crocin improved amyloid beta induced long-term potentiation and memory deficits in the hippocampal CA1 neurons in freely moving rats. Synapse. 2018, 72(5). doi.org/10.1002/syn.22026.
5/2018 affron®, a standardised extract from saffron (Crocus sativus L.) for the treatment of youth anxiety and depressive symptoms: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2018, 232: 349-357
5/2018 Crocin attenuates cyclophosphamide induced testicular toxicity by preserving glutathione redox system. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy. 2018, 101: 174-180
3/2018 Preventive effects of crocin on neuronal damages induced by D-galactose through AGEs and oxidative stress in human neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y). J Pharmacopuncture. 2018, 21(1): 18–25.
3/2018 Efficacy of Crocus sativus (saffron) in treatment of major depressive disorder associated with post-menopausal hot flashes: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics. 2018, 297(3): 717–724
3/2018 Crocin improves the proliferation and cytotoxic function of T cells in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy. 2018, 99: 96-100
3/2018 Anticancer activity of crocin against cervical carcinoma (HeLa cells): Bioassessment and toxicity evaluation of crocin in male albino rats. J of Photochem and Photobio B: Biology. 2018, 180: 118-124
2/2018 The effects of tramadol administration on hippocampal cell apoptosis, learning and memory in adult rats and neuroprotective effects of crocin. Metabolic Brain Disease. 2018, 33: 907–916
2/2018 Crocin potentiates antioxidant defense system and improves oxidative damage in liver tissue in diabetic rats. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy. 2018, 98: 333-337.
2/2018 Saffron improved depression and reduced homocysteine level in patients with major depression: A Randomized, double-blind study. Avicenna J Phytomed. 2018, 8(1): 43–50.
1/2018 Dietary crocin reverses melanoma metastasis. J of Biomed Res, 2018, 32(1): 39–50
1/2018 Crocin attenuates acute hypobaric hypoxia-induced cognitive deficits of rats. European Journal of Pharmacology. 2018, 818: 300-305.
1/2018 Protective effect of crocin against d-galactose-induced aging in mice. Avicenna J Phytomed. 2018, 8(1): 14–23.
12/2017 The effect of crocin on forgetfulness caused by cholestasis in male rats (behavioral , biochemical and genetical). The First International Congress on Biomedicine held from November 22th to 24th, 2017 in Tehran, Iran.
12/2017 Yorgun MA, Rashid K, Aslanidis A, Bresgen C, Dannhausen K, Langmann T. Crocin, a plant-derived carotenoid, modulates microglial reactivity. Biochemistry and Biophysics Reports. 2017, 12: 245–250.
11/2017 Effect of saffron oral capsule on anxiety and quality of sleep of diabetic patients in a tertiary healthcare facility in southeastern Iran: A quasi-experimental study. Trop J Pharm Res, 2017; 16(11): 2749-2753.
11/2017 Effect of Saffron Extract and Aerobic Exercises on Troponin T and Heart-Type Fatty Acid Binding Protein in Type 2 Diabetes Patients. Iranian Journal of Diabetes & Obesity. 2017, 9(1/2): 45-53.
11/2017 The Psychoactive Agent Crocin Can Regulate Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Activity. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2017, 11 | Article 668. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00668
11/2017 Heidari S, Mehri S, Hosseinzadeh H. Memory enhancement and protective effects of crocin against D-galactose aging model in the hippocampus of Wistar rats. Iran J Basic Med Sci, 2017, 20(11): 1250-1259.
11/2017 Effects of saffron and its constituents, crocin-1, crocin-2, and crocetin on α-synuclein fibrils. Journal of Natural Medicines. (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11418-017-1150-1.
10/2017 Effect of Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) as an Add-On Therapy to Sertraline in Mild to Moderate Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Double Blind Randomized Controlled Trial. Arch Neurosci. 2017 4(4):e14332. doi: 10.5812/archneurosci.14332.
9/2017 The effect of saffron on sexual dysfunction in women of reproductive age. Nurs Pract Today. 2017; 4(3):154-163.
9/2017 Mashak shahabadi M, Mousavi SZ, Mousavi SE, Ezzati MH. Crocin Affects Passive Avoidance Memory Following Formaldehyde-Induced Neurotoxicity in a Rat Model. Advanced Journal of Toxicology: Current Research. 2017, 1(1): 15-22.
8/2017 Saffron (Crocus sativus) intake provides nutritional preconditioning against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in Wild Type and ApoE(-/-) mice: Involvement of Nrf2 activation. Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases. 2017, 27: 919-929.
8/2017 Comparison of Saffron and Fluvoxamine in the Treatment of Mild to Moderate Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Double Blind Randomized Clinical Trial. Iran J Psychiatry 2017, 12(3): 154-162.
8/2017 affron® a novel saffron extract (Crocus sativus L.) improves mood in healthy adults over 4 weeks in a double-blind, parallel, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 2017, 33: 58-64.
8/2017 Crocin Attenuates Joint Pain and Muscle Dysfunction in Osteoarthritis Rat. Inflammation. 2017, 40(6): 2086–2093
8/2017 Antiproliferative Activity of Crocin Involves Targeting of Microtubules in Breast Cancer Cells. Scientific Reports 7, Article number: 44984 (2017) doi:10.1038/srep44984
7/2017 Effects of Saffron Aqueous Extract and Its Main Constituent, Crocin, on Health-Related Quality of Life, Depression, and Sexual Desire in Coronary Artery Disease Patients: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Clinical Trial. Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal. 2017, 19 (9); e13676
7/2017 Inhibition of Inflammatory Response by Crocin Attenuates Hemorrhagic Shock-Induced Organ Damages in Rats. Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research. 2017, 37(7): 295-302.
6/2017 Crocin attenuates hemorrhagic shock-induced oxidative stress and organ injuries in rats. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology. 2017, 52: 177-182
5/2017 Pre-supplementation of Crocus sativus Linn (saffron) attenuates inflammatory and lipid peroxidation markers induced by intensive exercise in sedentary women. Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science 2017, 7(5): 147-151.
5/2017 Crocus sativus extract tighten the blood-brain barrier, reduces amyloid-β load and related toxicity in 5XFAD mice. ACS Chem. Neurosci., 2017, 8(8): 1756–1766
5/2017 Crocin Attenuates Kindling Development and Associated Cognitive Impairments in Mice via Inhibiting Reactive Oxygen Species-Mediated NF-κB Activation. Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology. 2017, 120(5): 426–433
3/2017 Crocin improves spatial learning and memory deficits in the Morris water maze via attenuating cortical oxidative damage in diabetic rats. Neuroscience Letters. 2017, 642: 1-6.
3/2017 Crocins, the active constituents of Crocus sativus L., counteracted apomorphine-induced performance deficits in the novel object recognition task, but not novel object location task, in rats. Neuroscience Letters. 2017, 644: 37-42
3/2017 Antiproliferative Activity of Crocin Involves Targeting of Microtubules in Breast Cancer Cells. Scientific Reports. 2017, 7:44984. DOI: 10.1038/srep44984
3/2017 Role of Dietary Crocin in In Vivo Melanoma Tumor Remission. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2017, 18(3): 841-846
3/2017 Protective effect of Crocus sativus L. (Saffron) extract on spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats. Iran J Basic Med Sci. 2017, 20(3): 334–337.
2/2017 Saffron in the treatment of depression, anxiety and other mental disorders: Current evidence and potential mechanisms of action. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2017, 227: 330-337.
1/2017 Crocin protects against cerebral- ischemia-induced damage in aged rats through maintaining the integrity of blood-brain barrier. Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, 2017, 35(1): 65-75.
1/2017 Trans-crocetin improves amyloid-β degradation in monocytes from Alzheimer's Disease patients. Journal of the Neurological Sciences. 2017, 372: 408-412