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Background and purpose: Oxidative stress induced by cyclophosphamide (CP), a chemotherapeutic agent, causes vulnerability of sperm and declining the fertility power. Then in this study the effect of crocin (saffron extract) on amelioration of these side effects was investigated. Materials and methods: In this study 24 adult male mice were divided in three groups (n=8). Control group received normal saline (0.2 ml/day, IP), CP group received cyclophosphamide (15 mg/kg/week, IP), and CP+Cr group received crocin (200 mg/kg/day, IP) along with CP for 35 days. Then the animals were euthanized and malondialdehyde (MDA) in testis was assayed. After collection of sperm from caudate of epididymis, the rate of DNA damage was calculated by acridine orange staining. After stimulation of ovulation in 72 female adult mice, oocytes were collected and transferred in HTF medium that contained BSA. Then, in-vitro fertilization (IVF) was done with capacitated sperms. The rate of fertilization and primitive embryonic growth were evaluated for 120 hours. Results: The results showed increase in fertilization, two cell embryos and blastocysts in CP+Cr group compared to those of the CP group (P<0.05). Also, the crocin in CP+Cr group prevented the increase of total number of arrested embryos and percentage of arrested embryos type I, II, and III (P<0.05). Decrease in MDA assay and sperms with damaged DNA were observed more in CP+Cr group (P<0.05). Conclusion: This study showed the efficiency of crocin in amelioration of fertility and growth of primitive embryo in animals that received CP.

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Background and purpose: Diabetes mellitus affects male reproductive functions at multiple levels such as spermatogenesis, steroidogenesis, and sexual behaviors. The pleotropic protective roles of crocin in different pathological states have been reported, so, this study aimed at examining the protective effects of crocin on spermatogenesis in experimentally-induced diabetes in rats.
Materials and methods: In an experimental study, 18 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups; normal, diabetic, and crocin-treated diabetic groups. Diabetes was induced using i.v. injection of streptozotocin (40 mg/kg) and treatment group received i.p. injection of crocin (20 mg/kg/day) for 60 days. At the end of the test, we studied blood glucose level, sperm count, and testis weight, and histopathological assessment was also performed.
Results: Induction of diabetes enhanced blood glucose levels in diabetic group (229±11mg/dL) whereas crocin significantly decreased blood glucose levels of treated diabetic group (118±4mg/dL) compared with the diabetic group (P=0.001). Sperm number decreased considerably in diabetic group (19.4±24 million/mL vs. 4.4±10 million/mL) but crocin significantly increased that (10.3±14 million/mL), (P=0.037). Diabetes also developed histopathological changes in seminiferous tubules and led to reduction of testis weight in diabetic rats, whereas crocin diminished these damages.
Conclusion: Our findings revealed that crocin could protect male reproductive organ against diabetes and improve spermatogenesis in experimentally-induced diabetes in rat.
 
 

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Background and purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of crocin (Cr) on brain oxidative stress indices in animal model demyelinated with intracerebroventricular ethidium bromide (EB).
Materials and methods: In an interventional study, female Wistar rats were randomly divided into 7 groups. Crocin administration was done 1 day after EB injection for 21 days. The values ​​for Glutathione peroxidase (GPx), Superoxide dismutase (SOD), and Malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured before and after receiving Cr and analyzed using Paired t test and ANOVA.
Results: The levels of GPx, SOD, and MDA significantly reduced in the group that received Cr100 mg/kg (P<0.05). The effects of crocin were dose-dependent and other doses did not demonstrate significant effects on oxidative stress indices (P< 0.05).
Conclusion: The antioxidant effects of Crocin were dose-dependent, and it could be used as a strong antioxidant in management of patients with multiple sclerosis.

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Background and purpose: Crocin as a carotenoid exert anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-diabetic effects. There is an increasing prevalence of diabetes mellitus and its complications and patients are more interested in natural product treatments. This study aimed at investigating the efficacy of crocin and losartan alone and combination of the two drugs on insulin resistance and protecting pancreatic tissue in an animal model of diabetes.
Materials and methods: In this experimental study, diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (50 mg/kg) in 40 rats .Four weeks after induction of diabetes, the treatment groups received crocin (50 mg/kg) and losartan (25 mg/kg) daily or combination of these drugs for 4 weeks via gavage. Then, FBS, weight, insulin, and lipid profiles were investigated and histopathology of pancreatic tissues were evaluated.
Results: Findings showed that crocin and losartan can be effective in improving the symptoms of diabetes (hyperglycemia, increase in body weight, increased HOMA-IR, QUICKI reduction, hyperlipidemia, and pancreatic tissue damage). Also, combination of crocin and losartan increased its effectiveness in improving the symptoms of diabetes.
Conclusion: According to this study, crocin could contribute to development of phytotherapeutic techniques in treatment of diabetes and its complications. Also, this study showed that crocin in combination with losartan increases the effectiveness of losartan against diabetes. However, more human studies are needed to confirm these benefits.
 

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Background and purpose: Stress is a stimulus that leads to a physical or psychological reaction. Stress affects memory and cognition. Common drugs for treating stress and memory disorders have limited effects and many side effects, so the search for new effective compounds with natural origin and fewer side effects is of interest. Various studies have shown that Terminalia chebula) T. chebula (and crocin are effective in improving memory. Several proteins, including synapsin-1, synaptophysin, and PSD95, are involved in the transmission of nerve messages in synapses involved in memory. In this study, the effect of the hydroalcoholic extract of T. chebula and crocin in improving memory and stress and the expression of synaptophysin, PSD 95, and synapsin-1 genes in the hippocampal tissue of male rats of the immobility stress model has been evaluated.
Materials and methods: 25 adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups, including a control group, a stress group, treated with hydroalcoholic extract of T. chebula group, treated with crocin group, simultaneously treated with hydroalcoholic extract of T. chebula, and crocin group. All groups except the control group were subjected to immobility stress for 14 days.  Crocin was injected intraperitoneally (30 mg/kg) and hydroalcoholic extract of T. chebula was given as intragastric gavage (50 mg/kg). After fourteen days, the shuttle box test was performed to check the memory, then the animals were anesthetized and their hippocampal tissue was isolated, and the expression changes of synapsin-1, synaptophysin, and PSD 95 genes in the tissue were analyzed by Real-time PCR method.
Results: Immobility stress caused disruption in two memory indicators, i.e. increased the duration of staying in the dark chamber (P˂0.01) and decreased the latency time to enter the dark chamber compared to the control group (P˂0.0001). Treatment with the alcoholic extract of T. chebula did not affect the duration of staying in the dark chamber (P>0.05), but crocin decreased it compared to the stress group (P˂0.05). The hydroalcoholic extract of T. chebula and crocin increased the latency time to enter the dark chamber compared to the stress group (P˂0.01 and P˂0.001, respectively). As a result, both of them affected memory improvement parameters. The combination of the hydroalcoholic extract of T. chebula and crocin decreased the duration of staying in the dark chamber (P˂0.05) and increased the latency time to enter the dark chamber compared to the stress group (P˂0.001). Also, Immobility stress decreased the expression of synaptophysin, synapsin-1, and PSD95 genes in the hippocampus tissue compared to the control group (P˂0.001 for all genes). The expression of synaptophysin, synapsin-1, and PSD95 genes in the hippocampus tissue of groups treated with hydroalcoholic extract of T. chebula (P˂0.01, P˂0.01 and P˂0.001, respectively), crocin (P˂0.001, P˂0.01 and P˂0.001, respectively), and their combination (P˂0.001, P˂0.001 and P˂0.01, respectively), increased compared to the stress group.
Conclusion: treatment with crocin and hydroalcoholic extract of T. chebula separately or their combination was effective in improving memory and reducing stress by increasing the expression of synapsin 1, synaptophysin, and PSD95 genes.