• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.156-162
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• 2016

Iridoid glycosides (mainly geniposide) and crocetin derivatives (crocins) are the two major active constituents in Gardenia jasminoides Ellis. In the present study, geniposide, crocins, crocin-1 and crocetin were separated from gardenia chromatographically. Then, mice were orally administrated with geniposide (400 mg/kg b.w.), crocins (400 mg/kg b.w.), crocin-1 (400 mg/kg b.w.) and crocetin (140 mg/kg b.w.) once daily for 7 days with $CCl_4$. Hepatoprotective properties were evaluated by biochemical parameters: Administration of geniposide, crocins, crocin-1and crocetin significantly lowered serum alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels in $CCl_4$-treated mice. The reduced glutathione (GSH) levels and antioxidant enzymes (SOD and CAT) activities were also increased by geniposide, crocins, crocin-1 and crocetin. Histopathological examination of livers showed that these components reduced deformability, irregular arrangement and rupture of hepatocyte in $CCl_4$-treated mice. These biochemical results and liver histopathological assessment demonstrated that geniposide, crocetin derivatives and crocetin show comparative beneficial effects on $CCl_4$-induced liver damage via induction of antioxidant defense. Therefore, contents of geniposide and crocetin derivatives should be both considered for hepatoprotective efficacy of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• 제19권3호
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• pp.206-214
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• 2013

The crocetin derivatives, crocin (1), gentiobiosyl glucosyl crocetin (3), and mono-gentiobiosyl crocetin (4) were isolated from the fruit of Gardenia jasminoides (Gj) and crocetin (2) from the processed fruit of Gj (PGj) by column chromatography. Their structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic methods including IR, MS, and NMR (1D and 2D). These compounds were evaluated for their inhibition activity on melanin production in ${\alpha}$-MSH (melanocyte stimulating hormone) activated B16F10 cells. Compounds 1 - 4 reduced melanin content in a dose-dependent manner at concentrations of 20 - 60 uM. They also suppressed tyrosinase protein and m-RNA expressions dose dependently, assayed by western blot analysis, and RT-PCR experiment in B16F10 murine melanoma cells.

• 한국식품과학회지
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• 제31권5호
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• pp.1184-1187
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• 1999

치자황색소로부터 미생물에 의해 변환된 색소의 색조차이를 규명하고자 L. plantarum과 S. epidermidis에 의해 변환된 색소를 Amberlite XAD-4 column chromatography로 정제 한 다음 Sephadex LH-20 column의 gel filtration 용출양상과 분리된 색소의 분광학적 특성을 조사 하였다. L. plantarum에 의해 변환된 색소는 crocetin보다 큰 분자크기를 갖고 588 nm에서 홉수극대를 갖는 단일의 청색소를 생성하며, S. epidermidis에 의해 변환된 색소는 L. plantarum에 의해 생성되는 588 nm에 흡수극대를 갖는 청색소와 함께 crocetin 보다 작은 분자크기와, 413 nm에서 흡수극대를 갖는 황색소를 동시에 생성함으로서 청녹색을 띠는 것임이 밝혀졌다.

• 한국식품과학회지
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• 제31권4호
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• pp.945-951
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• 1999

식품중 공정시험법이 확립되어 있지 않은 치자황색소를 우리실정에 적용 가능한 시험방법을 개발, 확립함과 동시에 확립된 시험방법을 토대로 시중에서 유통되고 있는 일부 가공식품에 대하여 분석한 결과는 다음과 같다. 치자황색소 분석은 crocetin과 geniposide을 지표물질로 하여 역상계 칼럼인 Capcell Pak $C_{18}$을 이용하여 HPLC분석을 수행하였으며, crocetin은 상관계수(r) = 0.9997, 재현성 RSD 0.19, 검출한계 $0.07\;{\mu}g/g$, geniposide는 상관계수(r) = 0.9990, 재현성 RSD 0.22, 검출한계 $0.05\;{\mu}g/g$으로 매우 양호하였으며, 또한 확립된 HPLC분석방법으로 시중에서 유통되고 있는 단무지 60품목, 가공우유 20품목 및 스넥 12품목등 총 92품목을 분석한 결과, crocetin의 경우 단무지는 회수율 87.8%, 38품목은 불검출, 22품목에서 $0.1{\sim}1.7\;{\mu}g/g$이 검출, 우유는 회수율 85.9%. 10품목은 불검출, 10품목에서 $0.1\;{\sim}\;0.2\;{\mu}g/g$이 검출되었으며, 스넥은 회수율 86.5%, 10품목은 불검출 2품목에서 $1.5\;{\sim}\;1.6\;{\mu}g/g$이 검출되었다. Geniposide의 경우 단무지는 회수율 93.4%, 39품목은 불검출, 21품목에서 $1.5{\sim}14.1\;{\mu}g/g$이 검출, 우유는 회수율 90.2%, 10품목은 불검출, 10품목은 $0.5\;{\sim}\;13.6\;{\mu}g/g$이 검출되었으며, 스넥은 회수율 92.8%, 10품목은 불검출, 2품목은 각각 $0.9\;{\mu}g/g$이 검출되었다. 이상의 시험결과로서 본 연구에서 확립된 시험방법은 식품중 치자황색소 분석 공정시험법으로 활용할수 있으며, 또한 식품에 대한 사용기준 준수여부 확인 및 식품 품질관리에 크게 기여할 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권8호
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• pp.3757-3761
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• 2012

Objective: Crocin has been proposed as a promising candidate for cancer chemoprevention. The purpose of this investigation was to investigate the chemopreventive action and the possible mechanisms of crocin against human colon cancer cells in vitro. Methods: Cell proliferation was examined using MTT assay and the cell cycle distribution fractions were analyzed using fow cytometric analysis after propidium iodide staining. Apoptosis was detected using theTUNEL Apoptosis Detection Kit with laser scanning confocal microscope. DNA damage was assessed using the alkaline single-cell gel electrophoresis assay, while expression levels of p53, cdk2, cyclinA and P21 were examined by Western blot analysis. Results: Treatment of SW480 cells with crocetin (0.2, 0.4, 0.8 mmol/L) for 48 h signifcantly inhibited their proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner. Crocetin (0.8 mmol/L) signifcantly induced cell cycle arrest through p53-independent mechanisms accompanied by P21 induction. Crocetin (0.8 mmol/L) caused cytotoxicity in the SW480 cells by enhancing apoptosis and decreasing DNA repair capacity in a time-dependent manner. Conclusions: This report provides evidence that crocetin is a potential anticancer agent, which may be used as a chemotherapeutic drug.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권11호
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• pp.5605-5611
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• 2012

Background: In the last two decades, pioneering research on anti-tumour activity of saffron has shed light on the role of crocetin, picrocrocin and safranal, as broad spectrum anti-neoplastic agents. However, the exact mechanisms have yet to be elucidated. Identification and characterization of the targets of bioactive constituents will play an imperative role in demystifying the complex anti-neoplastic machinery. Methods: In the quest of potential target identification, a dual virtual screening approach utilizing two inverse screening systems, one predicated on idTarget and the other on PharmMapper was here employed. A set of target proteins associated with multiple forms of cancer and ranked by Fit Score and Binding energy were obtained from the two independent inverse screening platforms. The validity of the results was checked by meticulously analyzing the post-docking binding pose of the picrocrocin with Hsp90 alpha in AutoDock. Results: The docking pose reveals that electrostatic and hydrogen bonds play the key role in inter-molecular interactions in ligand binding. Picrocrocin binds to the Hsp90 alpha with a definite orientation appropriate for nucleophilic attacks by several electrical residues inside the Hsp90-alpha ATPase catalytic site. Conclusion: This study reveals functional information about the anti-tumor mechanism of saffron bioactive constituents. Also, a tractable set of anti-neoplastic targets for saffron has been generated in this study which can be further authenticated by in vivo and in vitro experiments.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제34권2호
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• pp.138-144
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• 2024

Crocin은 여러 가지 요리에 향미와 색깔을 주는 치자 열매나 사프란에 함유되어 있는 적노란색의 수용성 색소이다. 사프란과 치자는 전통의학 분야에서 부종, 해열, 해독 작용이 있어 바이러스성 간염, 식도염, 관상동맥심장병, 신경쇠약, 불면증, 퇴행성 신경질환, 호흡기 질환, 비뇨기 질환 등을 치료하는데 사용되어 왔다. Crocin (C₄₄H₆₄O₂₄)은 카로테노이드의 복합체로, dicarboxylic acid crocetin과 disaccharide gentiobiose로 이루어진 diester이다. Crocin은 혈액학적인, 병리학적인 독성이나 유전독성이 없다. 현재까지 수많은 생체 내 및 생체 외 연구들을 통해 Crocin의 생물학적인 약리작용이 밝혀지고 있다. 본 총설에서는 염증성 장질환, 위염, 천식, 동맥경화, 류머티스 관절염, 다발성 경화증, 당뇨, 알츠하이머병, 파킨슨병, 우울증 등의 염증 관련 질환에서 Crocin의 보호 효과를 요약한다. Crocin은 다양한 작용 기전을 통해 항염, 항산화, 세포 자살 방지 기능을 함으로써 이들 질환을 개선하는 것으로 추론된다.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제16권7호
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• pp.1084-1089
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• 2006

The fructus of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis (GF) has been widely used as a natural colorant in Asian countries, and also as a Chinese traditional medicine for its homeostatic, antiphlogistic, analgesic, and antipyretic effects. In the present study, its main component, crocin, was fermented with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and their antihyperlipidemic activity was measured. The GF extract, fermented GF (F-GF), crocin, and fermented crocin (F-crocin) significantly inhibited the increase of serum triglyceride (TG) level in corn oil feeding-induced triglyceridemic mice, as well as that of serum TG and total and LDL cholesterol levels in Triton WR-1339-induced hyperlipidemic mice. These agents also showed hypolipidemic activity in hyperlipidemic mice induced by high fat diet for 5 weeks. F-GF and F-crocin exhibited more potent hyperlipidemic effects than GF and crocin. The results suggest that the hypolipidemic effect of GF and crocin can be synergistically activated by LAB, and that F-GF and F-crocin may improve hyperlipidemia in clinic, compared with GF and crocin.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제18권6호
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• pp.1109-1114
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• 2008

To understand the role of intestinal microflora in the biological effect of functional herbs, which have been used in Korea, Japan, and China as traditional medicines, and suggest new bioactive compounds transformed from herbal constituents, the metabolic activities of the functional herb components (ginsenoside Rb1, crocin, amygdalin, geniposide, puerarin, ginsenoside Re, poncirin, hesperidin, glycyrrhizin, and baicalin) toward their bioactive compounds (compound K, crocetin, benzaldehyde, genipin, daidzein, ginsenoside Rh1, ponciretin, hesperetin, 18b-glycyrrhetic acid, and baicalein) were measured in fecal specimens. The metabolic activities of these components were $882.7{\pm}814.5$, $3,938.1{\pm}2,700.8$, $2,375.5{\pm}913.7$, $1,179.4{\pm}795.7$, $24.6{\pm}10.5$, $11.4{\pm}10.8$, $578.8{\pm}206.1$, $1,150.0{\pm}266.1$, $47.3{\pm}58.6$, and $12,253.0{\pm}6,527.6\;{\mu}mol/h/g$, respectively. No differences were found in the metabolic activities of the tested components between males and females, although these metabolic activities between individuals are extensively different. The metabolites of functional herb components showed more potent cytotoxicity against tumor cells than nonmetabolites. These findings suggest that intestinal microflora may activate the pharmacological effect of herbal food and medicines and must be the biocatalytic converter for the transformation of herbal components to bioactive compounds.

• 한국응용과학기술학회지
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• 제34권1호
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• pp.163-172
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• 2017

치자 껍질의 항산화 활성을 측정하기 위하여 70% methanol, distilled water (DW) 및 ethyl acetate (EA)의 3가지 용매를 사용한 추출물의 용매 별 flavonoid 함량 및 항산화 활성, 금속 chelating 능력 측정을 통하여 치자 껍질의 기능성 식품 재료로서의 가치를 검토한 결과, 치자 껍질의 proanthocyanidin 함량은 $48.165{\pm}0.811mg\;CE/g\;DW$로 나타났으며, 추출 수율은 70% methanol(36.26%), DW (39.87%), EA (2.88%) 로 나타났다. 추출 용매 별 항산화 활성은 농도(0.2, 0.4, 0.6 mg/mL)가 증가할수록 유의적으로 증가하였으며, control로 사용된 ascorbic acid, BHA, EDTA 보다는 낮은 활성이 관찰되었다. Flavonoid 함량(mg QE/g)은 70% methanol (0.416), DW (0.225), EA(0.212) 순으로 확인되었으며 다른 항산화 분석 및 금속 chelating 능력 실험에서도 이와 유사하게 관찰되어 모든 분석에서 70% methanol 추출물이 가장 활성이 강한 것으로 나타났다. 이상의 결과를 미루어 볼 때 치자 껍질의 용매 별 flavonoid 함량에 따라 항산화능, 금속 chelating 능력이 증가하는 것으로 사료되며, EA 추출물을 제외한 다른 추출물에서의 수율과 항산화 활성은 높은 수준으로 관찰되었다. 따라서 치자의 껍질은 proanthocyanidin과 flavonoid 화합물을 다량 함유하고 있으며 그로 인한 높은 항산화 활성과 생리활성을 가지고 있어 기능성 식품 및 천연항산화제로서의 가치가 매우 기대된다.