The cellular depletion of ATP, the initial pathophysiologic event and hallmark of ischemic injury, lead to a series of morphologic, biochemical and physiologic derangements. Free oxygen radical (ROS) generation is an important mechanism of cellular injury in ischemic and reperfused tissues that causes oxidative damage to cellular macromolecules including membrane lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. Renal ischemia is a major cause of acute renal failure. Ischemic renal failure occurs following an episode of severe hemorrhagic shock, endotoxin sepsis, thermal burns, or transplantation surgery. ROS per se have also been shown to compromise renal function, depress glomerular filtration, impair glomerular sieving function, and induce apoptosis in renal cells.
Cellular defense against free radical injury is provided by enzymatic (catalase, superoxide dismutases, and glutathione peroxidase) and nonenzymatic (GSH, α-tocopherol, vitamin C, and urate) free radical scavenging systems, present in the cell. Recent overwhelming attention to plant products and alternative medicine has encouraged plant chemists, pharmacologists, biochemists, and molecular biologists to combine their efforts in a search for natural agents that can limit free radicalmediated
injuries during and following ischemia– reperfusion, for better therapeutic management of IRI.
Crocus sativus L., commonly known as saffron, is used in folk medicine as an antispasmodic, eupeptic, gingival sedative, anticatarrhal, nerve sedative, carminative, diaphoteric, expectorant, stimulant, stomachic, aphrodisiac and emmenagogue. Furthermore, modern pharmacological studies have demonstrated that saffron extract or its active constituents have anticonvulsant, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory and antitumour effects, radical scavenger as well as learning and memory improving properties and promote the diffusivity of oxygen in different tissues. Saffron extract also has chemopreventive and showed protective effects on genotoxins-induced oxidative stress in Swiss albino mice.
Cellular defense against free radical injury is provided by enzymatic (catalase, superoxide dismutases, and glutathione peroxidase) and nonenzymatic (GSH, α-tocopherol, vitamin C, and urate) free radical scavenging systems, present in the cell. Recent overwhelming attention to plant products and alternative medicine has encouraged plant chemists, pharmacologists, biochemists, and molecular biologists to combine their efforts in a search for natural agents that can limit free radicalmediated
injuries during and following ischemia– reperfusion, for better therapeutic management of IRI.
Crocus sativus L., commonly known as saffron, is used in folk medicine as an antispasmodic, eupeptic, gingival sedative, anticatarrhal, nerve sedative, carminative, diaphoteric, expectorant, stimulant, stomachic, aphrodisiac and emmenagogue. Furthermore, modern pharmacological studies have demonstrated that saffron extract or its active constituents have anticonvulsant, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory and antitumour effects, radical scavenger as well as learning and memory improving properties and promote the diffusivity of oxygen in different tissues. Saffron extract also has chemopreventive and showed protective effects on genotoxins-induced oxidative stress in Swiss albino mice.
