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Saffron As a Promising Therapy for Diabetes and Alzheimer's Disease: Mechanistic Insights Publisher Pubmed



Sanaie S1 ; Nikanfar S2 ; Kalekhane ZY3, 4 ; Azizizeinalhajlou A5, 6 ; Sadigheteghad S7 ; Arajkhodaei M1, 8 ; Ayati MH1, 9 ; Andalib S10
Authors
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Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. Research Center for Integrative Medicine in Aging, Aging Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
  2. 2. Department of Biochemistry and Clinical Laboratories, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
  3. 3. Research Center of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Aging Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
  4. 4. Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
  5. 5. Student Research Committee, Aging Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
  6. 6. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Research Center, Aging Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
  7. 7. Neurosciences Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
  8. 8. Department of Persian Medicine, School of Traditional Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
  9. 9. Department of Traditional Medicine, School of Persian Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  10. 10. Research Unit of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Department of Clinical Research, Odense University Hospital, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

Source: Metabolic Brain Disease Published:2023


Abstract

The prevalence of both Alzheimer's disease (AD) and diabetes mellitus is increasing with the societies' aging and has become an essential social concern worldwide. Accumulation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) of tau proteins in the brain are hallmarks of AD. Diabetes is an underlying risk factor for AD. Insulin resistance has been proposed to be involved in amyloid-beta (Aβ) aggregation in the brain. It seems that diabetic conditions can result in AD pathology by setting off a cascade of processes, including inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and ROS and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) synthesis. Due to the several side effects of chemical drugs and their high cost, using herbal medicine has recently attracted attention for the treatment of diabetes and AD. Saffron and its active ingredients have been used for its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, and anti-AD properties. Therefore, in the present review paper, we take account of the clinical, in vivo and in vitro evidence regarding the anti-diabetic and anti-AD effects of saffron and discuss the preventive or postponing properties of saffron or its components on AD development via its anti-diabetic effects. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
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