Metabolic effects of Crocus sativus and protective action against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in diabetic rats

Konstantopoulos,Panagiotis; Doulamis,Ilias  P.; Tzani,Aspasia; Korou,Maria‑Laskarina; Agapitos,Emmanouil; Vlachos,Ioannis  S.; Pergialiotis,Vasilios; Verikokos,Christos; Mastorakos,George; Katsilambros,Nicholas  L.; Perrea,Despina  N.

doi:10.3892/br.2017.884

Metabolic effects of Crocus sativus and protective action against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in diabetic rats

Authors:
- Panagiotis Konstantopoulos
- Ilias P. Doulamis
- Aspasia Tzani
- Maria‑Laskarina Korou
- Emmanouil Agapitos
- Ioannis S. Vlachos
- Vasilios Pergialiotis
- Christos Verikokos
- George Mastorakos
- Nicholas L. Katsilambros
- Despina N. Perrea
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Affiliations: Laboratory for Experimental Surgery and Surgical Research ‘N.S. Christeas’, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Medical School, Athens 11527, Greece, Department of Pathology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Medical School, Athens 11527, Greece, Second Department of Propedeutic Surgery, ‘Laiko’ General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Medical School, Athens 11527, Greece, Unit of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, ‘Aretaieion’ Hospital, Athens Medical School, Athens 11528, Greece
Published online on: April 5, 2017 https://doi.org/10.3892/br.2017.884
Pages: 513-518
Copyright: © Konstantopoulos et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the result of the accumulation of adipose tissue deposits in the liver and it is associated with type 2 diabetes. Crocus sativus (saffron) is known for its antioxidant and its potential hypoglycemic effects. We investigated the role of saffron on NAFLD in diabetic rats. Thirty adult male rats were allocated into three groups; control (n=10), which received normal diet; streptozotocin (STZ) group (n=10), which received normal chow diet, 10% fructose in their drinking water and STZ (40 mg/kg body weight; STZ‑saffron group (n=10), which followed the same dietary and pharmacological pattern as STZ group and were additionally supplemented with saffron (100 mg/kg/day). Metabolic profile was measured and histopathological examination of the liver was evaluated. STZ group exhibited the highest glucose levels at the end of the experiment (P<0.05), while there was no difference between control and STZ-saffron group (584 vs. 213 mg/dl vs. 209 mg/dl, respectively). STZ group revealed higher percentage of steatosis (5-33%) when compared to the other two groups (P<0.005). Saffron exhibits both hypoglycemic and hepatoprotective actions. Yet, further studies enlightening the exact mechanisms of saffron's mode of actions are required.

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