Medicinal & Aromatic Plants
Open Access

Crocins from Crocus sativus L., a precious nutritional source as an agent against a medulloblastoma human cell line

4^th Global Summit on Herbals and Traditional Medicine

October 03-04, 2018 Osaka, Japan

Eleni Kakouri, Kyriaki Hatziagapiou, Charalabos Kanakis, George Lambrou and Petros A Tarantilis

Agricultural University of Athens, Greece
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Med Aromat Plants

Abstract :

Medulloblastoma is the most common central nervous system malignant brain tumor in children. Treatment usually includes surgery followed by radiation, chemotherapy, or both. Retinoid therapy is recommended for the treatment of medulloblastoma. Although the significant benefit derived from the use of these compounds, systemic administration is associated with chronic toxicity which leads to sub-lethal or even lethal results. Therefore, their use is limited. As a result, scientists are in pursuit of new therapeutic approaches. Crocus sativus L. is a species belonging to the Iridaceae family. The dried stigmas of the plant, commonly known as saffron, have been used as spice, food coloring and flavoring and in traditional herbal medicine by many ancient civilizations. Nowadays there is an increasing interest in the use of the traditional medical knowledge regarding saffron activity against a wide range of human diseases. The pharmacological efficacy of the stigmas is attributed to crocins, the main constituents of saffron. Crocins are either mono- or di-glycosyl esters of crocetin, in which D-glucose and/or D-gentiobiose occur as carbohydrate residues. They are water soluble carotenoids with relatively low toxicity as they are not stored in adipose and liver tissues. In this study we examined the possible cytotoxic effect of crocins on the pediatric malignant cell line TE-671. Results of our research could encourage the use of natural products to prevent and/or treat various diseases.

Biography :

Currently Dr. Eleni Kakouri is a PhD student at the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA). She specializes in chemical analysis of Medicinal and Aromatic plants and their biological activity in in vivo and in vitro models. She holds an MSc in Quality Management Systems and Food Safety (AUA) and she graduated from the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Camerino (Italy). Dr. Eleni Kakouri is experienced in Health education with a demonstrated history of working as clinical and private pharmacist. She has a volunteering and social action at the Metropolitan Community Clinic at Helliniko (Athens, Greece).

E-mail: elenikakouri@aua.gr