Protective effects of crocin in cardiovascular diseases and stroke

Cardiovascular diseases and stroke are among the most common and fatal diseases in the world. These diseases are main cause of death and disability in Iran. This review article was conducted based on searching the related articles in international databases such as Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar by searching crocin, cardiovascular diseases, atherosclerosis, Arterial hypertension, infarction, and stroke keywords. Several factors such as oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis and pyroptosis, as well as mitochondrial disorder and endothelium dysfunction are involved in the occurrence and progression of these diseases. On the other hand, crocin has anti-oxidative stress, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic and anti-pyroptosis effects and also can regulate autophagy in pathological conditions and has shown many protective effects against cardiovascular diseases. Crocin has a protective role against endothelial disorders by preventing the decrease in the expression of junctional proteins including ZO-1 and occluding. It also prevents the breakdown of the blood-brain barrier by reducing the expression of matrix metalloproteinases, and reduces the cell death and infarction area in the brain. Due to its high therapeutic potential, crocin can be considered as a therapeutic agent against cardiovascular diseases and stroke.