ISHS Acta Horticulturae 650: I International Symposium on Saffron Biology and Biotechnology
EFFECT OF SAFFRON ON THE VIABILITY OF NORMAL AND MALIGNANT HUMAN CELLS IN VITRO |
| Authors: | F. Trujillo-Jiménez, P. García-López, A. Garcí-Carrancá, F.I. Abdullaev |
| Keywords: | Crocus sativus L., cytotoxic effect, saffron extracts |
| Abstract:
Saffron, obtained from the dried stigmas of Crocus sativus L., is an important spice, rich in carotenoids. Carotenoids are capable of protecting cells from the attack of free radicals, which naturally develop during sunbathing, smoking, exercise – even breathing oxygen. It has been estimated that our body needs 6 to 30 mg of carotenoids per day to protect its cells. These amounts are normally consumed as fruits, vegetables and agents for flavoring and coloring foods in different parts of the world. We have investigate the effect of aqueous extracts of saffron upon cell viability of different human cells, including normal human lung fibroblasts and several human malignant cell lines (MCF-7, SKNH and HeLa), using an assay based on tetrazolium dye. Cell lines were seeded into 96-well plates at 10X103 cell per well and exposed during 18 h with saffron extracts. We observed that, while saffron extracts produced no changes in cell viability of normal human lung fibroblast, a dose-dependent inhibitory effect was observed on malignant cells. We found that MCF-7 cells were the more sensitive ones, followed by SKNH and HeLa cells (IC50 (mg/ml) were for MCF-7 –0.78; SKNM – 1,66, HeLa – 1,92 and normal cells –19,99). | |
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