Home  About us  Contact
 

Crocus Sativus L. (crocus + sativu_l)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Medical Sciences75%

Selected Abstracts

A comparative trial of Crocus sativus L. (saffron) and imipramine in mild to moderate depression

FOCUS ON ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES AN EVIDENCE-BASED APPROACH, Issue 1 2005
Article first published online: 14 JUN 2010
[source]

Equilibrium moisture content and heat of desorption of saffron

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 8 2010
Hamid Reza Gazor
Summary The equilibrium moisture contents of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) stigmas were determined experimentally using the standard gravimetric method at temperatures 30, 45 and 60 °C and water activity ranging from 11% to 83%. The sorption isotherm curves of saffron were sigmoidal in shape and decreased with increased temperature at constant relative humidity. Five selected isotherm models GAB, modified Henderson, modified Chung-Pfost, modified Halsaey and modified Oswin were tested to fit the experimental isotherm data. Modified Oswin and modified Henderson models were found acceptable for predicting desorption moisture isotherms and fitting to the experimental data, respectively. The isosteric heats of desorption, determined from equilibrium data using the Clausius-Clapeyron equation, were found to be a function of moisture content. The net isosteric heat of desorption of saffron varied between 1.38 and 5.38 kJ mol,1 at moisture content varying between 2% and 20% (d.b). [source]

Effect of crocus sativus L. (saffron) stigma and its constituents, crocin and safranal, on morphine withdrawal syndrome in mice

PHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, Issue 5 2010
Hossein Hosseinzadeh
Abstract Crocus sativus L. has been shown to interact with the opioid system. Thus, the effects of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of stigma and its constituents were evaluated on morphine-withdrawal syndrome in mice. Dependence was induced using subcutaneous (s.c.) injections of morphine for 3 days. On day 4, morphine was injected 0.5,h prior the interaperitoneal (i.p.) injections of the extracts, crocin, safranal, clonidine (0.3,mg/kg) or normal saline. Naloxone was injected (5,mg/kg i.p.) 2,h after the final dose of morphine and the number of episodes of jumping during 30,mm was considered as the intensity of the withdrawal syndrome. Clonidine, the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of saffron reduced the jumping activity. Safranal was injected (s.c.) 30,mm prior and 1 and 2,h after the injection of morphine. It potentiated some signs of withdrawal syndrome. The aqueous extract decreased the movement in all of the doses (80, 160, 320,mg/kg) and the ethanolic extract decreased it in the dose of 800,mg/kg in open field test. But crocin and the dose of 400,mg/kg ethanolic extract showed no effect on activity in this test. It is concluded that the extracts and crocin may have interaction with the opioid system to reduce withdrawal syndrome. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]