Saffron may modulate inflammatory pathways of Diabetes and reduce diabetic complications

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is a medicinal plant, originally cultivated in the East and Middle East, and later in some Mediterranean countries. Saffron as a herbal medicine contains active compounds such as safranal, flavonoids, crocetin, and crocin that are effective in regulating oxidative stress and inflammation and may play a major role in reducing the effects of diabetes. However, the effect of saffron on diabetic inflammation has not been evaluated in the form of systematic review studies. Therefore, Dr Arezoo Moini Jazani and her team conducted a study to evaluate the evidence obtained from in-vitro, animal, and clinical trials studies on the effects of saffron on inflammation in diabetes.

In a systemic review, the researchers assessed the databases such as Embase, Pubmed, SCOPUS, ProQuest, and sciences direct. They included all eligible in-vitro, animal and human studies that examined the effect of saffron on inflammatory factors in diabetes were published in the form of a full article in English. Among assessing 596 articles they included a total of 20 articles, out of which 3 were in-vitro studies, 13 were animal studies and 4 were human studies.

Key findings of the study:

• Upon analysis, they found that the inflammatory biomarkers are involved in the progression of diabetes complications.
• They also noted that saffron can modulate phosphatidylinositol3 kinases/protein kinase B pathways.

The authors concluded, "The findings of this systematic study (Except for two studies) suggest that saffron supplementation with potential anti-inflammatory properties may reduce the expression of the inflammatory pathway and the production of inflammatory products in diabetes."

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DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsx.2021.102365