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Methanol extract of saffron ameliorates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in C57BL/6 mice
Author(s) -
Rostami Parvin,
Eslambolchi Shamila,
Haghbin Kamahldin,
Sanati Mohamad H.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.22.1_supplement.1074.3
Subject(s) - crocus sativus , experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis , multiple sclerosis , medicine , encephalomyelitis , immunology , inflammation , pharmacology , traditional medicine , antioxidant , chemistry , biochemistry
Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, and is commonly used as an animal model for multiple sclerosis (MS). Inflammation is a key event in both EAE and MS, which leads to demyelination and subsequent disability. It is shown that crocus sativus L. stigma (saffron) extracts have anti‐inflammatory activity in rats. There is modern pharmacological evidence for anti‐tumour, chemopreventive and genoprotective effects as well as radical scavenger properties of saffron extracts or its constituents. We observed that both therapeutic doses of dexamethasone and methanol extracts of saffron stigma at 100mg/kg and higher prevented EAE from progressing significantly in pMOG‐immunized female C57BL/6 mice. In contrast, an aqueous maceration extract of Crocus sativus L. did not prevent EAE progression. These results suggest that saffron may attenuate symptoms of EAE by its anti‐inflammatory activity.