PHARMACOGNOSTIC AND PHARMACOLOGIC SCREENING OF CROCUS SATIVUS OF GREEK ORIGIN
OANA CIOANCĂ1, APOSTOLOS PAGONAKIS1, ADRIANA TRIFAN1*, LUCIAN HRIȚCU2, RADU IONIŢĂ2, ANA FLAVIA BURLEC1, PAULA POSTU2, MIRCEA CORNELIA1, MONICA HĂNCIANU1
1“Gr. T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iași, Faculty of Pharmacy, 16 University Str., Iași, Romania
2“Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iaşi, Faculty of Biology, 11 Carol I Blvd., Iași, Romania
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The main aim of the present study was to characterize and asses the antioxidant and biological activities of hydrophilic and lipophilic extracts from Crocus sativus from Greece. The bioactive compounds were analysed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), the most important identified compounds being kaempferol derivatives, safranal and picrocrocin. Total phenolic content was also determined. The antioxidant activity of hydrophilic and lipophilic extracts of Crocus sativus of different origins was investigated, the hydrophilic extract of Greek origin showing a good antioxidant activity compared to the other types of extracts. The impact of Greek sample of Crocus sativus on memory in an Alzheimer’s disease rat model was also studied, showing promising results in restoring short-term and long-term memory impairment induced by administration of beta-amyloid peptide (Aβ-(25-35)).