ArticleJournal of food biochemistry2021
Immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory potential of crocin in COVID-19 treatment.
Article in Journal of food biochemistry, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 36 citations in OpenAlex.
- Biochemical, histopathological, and immunohistochemical study on the ameliorative effect of crocin against lipopolysaccharide‑induced hippocampal toxicity in male albino rats.BMC pharmacology & toxicology · 2025Article
- Heterologous Biosynthesis of Crocin I inInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Rbfox3 Promotes Transformation of MDSC-Like Tumor Cells to Shape Immunosuppressive Microenvironment.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2025Article
- NMR Study of Water-Soluble Carotenoid Crocin: Formation of Mixed Micelles, Interaction with Lipid Membrane and Antioxidant Activity.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- A review on biochemical constituents of pumpkin and their role as pharma foods; a key strategy to improve health in post COVID 19 period.Food production, processing and nutrition · 2023Review
- The role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors in the modulation of hyperinflammation induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection: A perspective for COVID-19 therapy.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Review
- Small molecules in the treatment of COVID-19.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2022Review
- Characterization ofInternational journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Carotenoids in Drug Discovery and Medicine: Pathways and Molecular Targets Implicated in Human Diseases.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Potential effects of icariin, the Epimedium-derived bioactive compound in the treatment of COVID-19: a hypothesis.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2022Review
- In silico evaluation of food-derived carotenoids against SARS-CoV-2 drug targets: Crocin is a promising dietary supplement candidate for COVID-19.Journal of food biochemistry · 2022Article
- Role of Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2 (Nrf2) in the Recovery of Long COVID-19 Using Natural Antioxidants: A Systematic Review.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Saffron forMetabolism open · 2021Article
- Immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory potential of crocin in COVID-19 treatment.Journal of food biochemistry · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
1 author at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The current COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most devastating events in recent history. In the lack of a specific treatment and vaccine for this novel infection, finding effective drugs against this infection is crucial. We suggest the hypothesis that crocin, the main carotenoid of saffron, has the potential to limit the progression and severity of the SARS-CoV2 infection for several reasons: (a) crocin possesses powerful antioxidant properties, (b) crocin can alleviate the uncontrolled cytokine production responsible for acute lung injury, (c) crocin can upregulate PPARγ and downregulate NF-κB expression which leads to a wide range of immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects, and (d) crocin can reduce the viral-induced oxidative stress and downregulates ACE2 expression by activating Nrf2 pathway. We hope our hypothesis, corroborated by preclinical evidence, will inspire further targeted studies to test crocin as a beneficial drug against the SARS-CoV2 infection. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Crocin is a natural antioxidant and the main active carotenoid components of saffron. We suggest the hypothesis that crocin has the potential to limit the progression and severity of the SARS-CoV2 infection because of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Furthermore, this compound may prevent viral entry to host cells and reduce SARS-CoV2-induced lung injury. Therefore, we suggest further clinical studies on the effects of crocin against SARS-Cov-2 infection.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.