Safranal

Safranal is a novel, orally active monoterpene aldehyde and the main active component of saffron. Safranal has neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects. Safranal can be used in the study of Parkinson's disease and chronic inflammation^[1-4].

In vitro, Safranal (300–700μM) and VEGF (30ng/ml) were used to treat human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2) for 8–24 hours. Safranal significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation, while reducing the expression of angiogenesis-related factors (such as VEGF and HIF-1α) and downstream signaling proteins^[5]. Safranal (10–1000μM) was applied to treat human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2) for 24 hours. Safranal significantly inhibited cell viability and reduced cell survival rates^[6].

In vivo, Safranal (100 or 200mg/kg; once daily) was administered via oral gavage to membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat models for 4 weeks. Safranal significantly reduced renal injury, inflammation, and podocyte damage in MGN rats, and improved renal function^[7]. Safranal (200 or 500mg/kg; once daily) was given by gavage to ovalbumin (OVA)-induced Balb/c mouse asthma models for 7 days. Safranal significantly reduced inflammatory cell infiltration and goblet cell mucus secretion in lung tissues, decreased the number of mast cells in lung tissues, and regulated Th1/Th2 cytokine levels to alleviate asthma symptoms. One hour before antigen injection, Safranal (200 or 500mg/kg; single dose) was administered via oral gavage to passive systemic anaphylaxis (PSA) Balb/c mouse models. Safranal significantly reduced the levels of histamine and leukotriene C4 (LTC4) in the serum of PSA mice, thereby inhibiting allergic reactions^[8].

References:
[1] Esmaealzadeh D, Moodi Ghalibaf A, Shariati Rad M, et al. Pharmacological effects of Safranal: An updated review. Iran J Basic Med Sci. 2023;26(10):1131-1143.
[2] Fazeli E, Ghalibaf MHE, Forouzanfar F. Neuroprotective Potency of Safranal Against Neurological Disorders. Curr Mol Med. 2023;23(9):952-959.
[3] Sheng SR, Wu YH, Dai ZH, et al. Safranal inhibits estrogen-deficiency osteoporosis by targeting Sirt1 to interfere with NF-κB acetylation. Phytomedicine. 2023 Jun;114:154739.
[4] Gupta M, Wani A, Ahsan AU, et al. Safranal inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome activation by preventing ASC oligomerization. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2021 Jul 15;423:115582.
[5] Abdalla A, Murali C, Amin A. Safranal Inhibits Angiogenesis via Targeting HIF-1α/VEGF Machinery: In Vitro and Ex Vivo Insights. Front Oncol. 2022 Feb 2;11:789172.
[6] Abdalla Y, Abdalla A, Hamza AA, et al. Safranal Prevents Liver Cancer Through Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and Alleviating Inflammation. Front Pharmacol. 2022 Feb 1;12:777500.
[7] Bao Y, Ge YM, Wang Z, et al. Safranal Ameliorates Renal Damage, Inflammation, and Podocyte Injury in Membranous Nephropathy via SIRT/NF-κB Signalling. Curr Med Sci. 2025 Apr;45(2):288-300.
[8] Lertnimitphun P, Zhang W, Fu W, et al. Safranal Alleviated OVA-Induced Asthma Model and Inhibits Mast Cell Activation. Front Immunol. 2021 May 20;12:585595.

Safranal是一种新型的、具有口服活性的单萜醛类化合物（藏红花主要活性成分）。Safranal具有神经保护和抗炎作用。Safranal可用于帕金森病和慢性炎症的相关研究^[1-4]。

在体外，Safranal（300–700μM）与VEGF（30ng/ml）处理人脐静脉内皮细胞（HUVEC）及肝细胞癌细胞（HepG2）8-24小时。Safranal显著抑制细胞的增殖、迁移和血管形成能力，同时降低血管生成相关因子（如VEGF、HIF-1α）及下游信号蛋白的表达^[5]。Safranal（10-1000μM）处理人肝癌细胞（HepG2）24小时。Safranal显著抑制了细胞的活力，降低细胞存活率^[6]。

在体内，Safranal（100或200mg/kg；每天一次）灌胃于膜性肾小球肾炎（MGN）Sprague-Dawley（SD）大鼠模型，连续4周。Safranal显著减轻了MGN大鼠的肾脏损伤、炎症和足细胞损伤，并改善了肾功能^[7]。Safranal（200或500mg/kg；每天一次）灌胃于卵清蛋白（OVA）诱导的Balb/c小鼠哮喘模型，连续7天。Safranal显著减少了肺组织中的炎症细胞浸润和杯状细胞黏液分泌，降低了肺组织肥大细胞数量，并调节了Th1/Th2细胞因子水平以缓解哮喘症状。在注射抗原前1小时，Safranal（200或500mg/kg；单次）灌胃于被动全身过敏（PSA）模型的Balb/c小鼠。Safranal显著降低了PSA小鼠血清中组胺和白三烯C4（LTC4）的水平，从而抑制了过敏反应^[8]。