Saffron molecule can protect against liver cancer

Saffron molecule can protect against liver cancer
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The humble saffron has come to rescue people who are at the risk of developing liver cancer. A biomolecule found in the golden spice is good for your liver, find the researchers. The saffron-based “crocin” can protect people against a deadly form of liver cancer, they have added.

Abu Dhabi: The humble saffron has come to rescue people who are at the risk of developing liver cancer. A biomolecule found in the golden spice is good for your liver, find the researchers. The saffron-based “crocin” can protect people against a deadly form of liver cancer, they have added.

New study led by professor Amr Amin from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) University has unravelled mechanisms by which saffron-based 'crocin' protects against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

“The aims of this study were to examine the chemopreventive action of saffron's main biomolecule - crocin - against chemically-induced liver cancer in rats and to explore the mechanisms by which crocin employs its anti-tumour effects,” the authors noted. The team investigated the anti-cancer effect of crocin on an experimental carcinogenesis model of liver cancer by studying the anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of crocin in vivo.

To further support the results, in vitro analysis was also carried out. “We assessed the effects of crocin on HepG2 cells viability by treating them with various concentrations of crocin. In addition, effects of crocin on cell cycle distribution of HepG2 cells were investigated,” the team elaborated. The findings revealed the anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic properties of crocin when administrated in induced-HCC model. Crocin exhibited anti-inflammatory properties where NF-kB, among other inflammatory markers, was inhibited.

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