Keywords
Colorectal cancer
Gastric cancer
Chemoprevention
Treatment
Submitted : 2022-02-27
Accepted : 2022-03-14
Published : 2022-03-29
Abstract
Despite the increasing number of drugs and treatments available for cancer patients, the effect of cancer on the quality of life of patients and their life expectancy is significant. Moreover, many new therapeutic options have shown to have adverse effects without improving outcomes. These days, natural plants and chemopreventive drugs are commonly used. Chemoprevention is a new form of therapy that targets specific premalignant-malignant transformations. Plant-derived substances, such as polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, alkaloids, etc., have a range of biological effects. Despite extensive studies on the anti-inflammatory effect of saffron carotenoids, they are also bioactive in some other ways, including the inhibition of tumor growth and the induction of cell death. In addition to interfering with a wide array of signaling molecules, this substance has pleiotropic effects: it inhibits pro-inflammatory molecules, transcription factors, enzymes, protein kinases, protein transport proteins, proteins that are crucial for cell survival, growth factors, proteins that regulate the cell cycle, and chemokines. Saffron has high oral bioavailability and is, therefore, suitable for treating gastrointestinal diseases. This antioxidant and anti-proliferative property of saffron makes it a promising chemopreventive agent for colorectal cancer. In contrast with in vitro studies devoted to saffron and in vivo studies on animal models, saffron has rarely been assessed in clinical studies dealing with gastrointestinal oncology. However, several clinical trials are in progress in this domain, although saffron has no approved medical indication as of yet.
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