Effects of Crocin Analogs on Ocular Blood Flow and Retinal Function

Abstract

Ischemic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration are the leading ocular diseases that cause blindness. The etiology of these diseases is due in part to the reduction of blood flow in the retina and/or choroid. Crocin analogs isolated from Crocus sativus L. were found to significantly increase the blood flow in the retina and choroid and to facilitate retinal function recovery. Increased blood flow due to vasodilation presumably improves oxygenation and nutrient supply of retinal structures. These results indicated that crocin analogs could be used to treat ischemic retinopathy and/or age-related macular degeneration. It was noted that disaccharide analogs of crocin, such as crocin-1 and crocin-2, were less potent than monosaccharide analogs of crocin, such as crocin-3 and crocin-4, constituting an interesting structure-activity relationship.

Effects of Some Natural Flavonoids on Retinal Function Recovery After Ischemic Insult in the Rat

“…There are numerous synthetic (10-15) as well as natural compounds (16)(17)(18)(19), which were reported to facilitate ocular blood flow and retinal function recovery after ischemic insult. It is hoped …”

Avicenna's (Ibn Sina) the Canon of Medicine and Saffron (Crocus sativus): A Review

“…They significantly increased blood flow in the retina and choroid and facilitated retinal function recovery. However, it seems that disaccharide analogues of crocin were less potent than monosaccharide ones (Xuan et al , ). Recent experiments showed that higher concentrations of vitreous glutamate damage the retina, as induced by chronic ocular hypertension in rabbits.…”

Crocetin: an Agent Derived from Saffron for Prevention and Therapy for Cancer

“…It has been reported that saffron derived compounds like crocetin showed significant effects on coronary heart disease by inhibiting lipoprotein oxidation [33, 39], on neurodegenerative diseases [33, 39-44], on retinal function recovery by increasing retinal blood flow [33, 45], on reducing blood pressure and maintaining kidney function [46] and also used as anticonvulsive agent [33, 47]. Most notable discovery in relation to crocetin is to enhance oxygen diffusivity during shock and reperfusion that ultimately lead to increased ATP production [48, 49].…”