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Licensed Unlicensed Requires Authentication Published by De Gruyter July 16, 2013

Cytotoxic effects of crocin on MOLT-4 human leukemia cells

  • Ramin Rezaee , Mahmoud Mahmoudi , Khalil Abnous , Shahrzad Zamani Taghizadeh Rabe , Nafiseh Tabasi , Mahmoud Hashemzaei and Gholamreza Karimi EMAIL logo

Abstract

Background: Among various naturally occurring compounds which have been extracted from Crocus sativus, crocin has shown different pharmacological effects i.e. neuroprotection and anti-tumor activity.

Methods: Here, crocin effects on human T-cell leukemia cell line, MOLT-4, were evaluated. In this study, we examined the effects of 24 and 48 h of crocin treatment (50, 250 and 500 µM) on the viability of MOLT-4 cell line. Moreover, probable apoptotic/necrotic outcomes, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production variations along with crocin treatment consequences on DNA, were investigated.

Results: Results from MTT assay demonstrated that 48-h crocin treatment at 500 µM, significantly reduced cell viability (p<0.01). DNA fragmentation was recorded to be significantly increased at higher doses of crocin following 24 and 48 h (p<0.01). According to our results, while apoptosis was detected at all concentrations, necrosis detected at the highest dose, only. In comparison with control, ROS production was reduced at 50 and 250 µM.

Conclusions: In accordance with previous reports, crocin exhibited mild cytotoxic effects on a leukemia cell line which might be mediated through the increase of DNA fragmentation.

Acknowledgement

Data published in this article are part of a Ph.D. thesis. Authors wish to thank the Vice Chancellor of Research, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences and Iran National Science Foundation for financial support.

Conflict of interest statement

Authors’ conflict of interest disclosure: The authors stated that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this article.

Research funding: None declared.

Employment or leadership: None declared.

Honorarium: None declared.

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Received: 2013-03-16
Accepted: 2013-05-24
Published Online: 2013-07-16

©2013 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin / Boston

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