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Review
. 2022 Jan 14:12:745683.
doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.745683. eCollection 2021.

Crocetin: A Systematic Review

Zi-Liang Guo  1   2 , Mao-Xing Li  1   2   3 , Xiao-Lin Li  1 , Peng Wang  1   3 , Wei-Gang Wang  1   3 , Wei-Ze Du  1   3 , Zhi-Qiang Yang  1   4 , Sheng-Fu Chen  1   3 , Di Wu  1   5 , Xiu-Yu Tian  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Crocetin: A Systematic Review

Zi-Liang Guo et al. Front Pharmacol. .

Abstract

Crocetin is an aglycone of crocin naturally occurring in saffron and produced in biological systems by hydrolysis of crocin as a bioactive metabolite. It is known to exist in several medicinal plants, the desiccative ripe fruit of the cape jasmine belonging to the Rubiaceae family, and stigmas of the saffron plant of the Iridaceae family. According to modern pharmacological investigations, crocetin possesses cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, antidepressant, antiviral, anticancer, atherosclerotic, antidiabetic, and memory-enhancing properties. Although poor bioavailability hinders therapeutic applications, derivatization and formulation preparation technologies have broadened the application prospects for crocetin. To promote the research and development of crocetin, we summarized the distribution, preparation and production, total synthesis and derivatization technology, pharmacological activity, pharmacokinetics, drug safety, drug formulations, and preparation of crocetin.

Keywords: crocetin; crocetin derivatives; distribution; formulation; pharmacokinetics; pharmacological activity; toxicity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Structural formula of crocetin.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Original plants and medicinal materials of Crocus sativus L. and Gardenia jasminoides Ellis. (A) C. sativus L. flower (the picture comes from http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/); (B) dried stigmas of C. sativus L.; (C) the fruits of G. jasminoides Ellis. (The picture comes from http://www.360doc.com); (D) dried fruits of G. jasminoides Ellis.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Therapeutic applications of crocetin.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Pharmacokinetics of crocetin in the body.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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