Page last updated: 2024-11-06

safranal

Description Research Excerpts Clinical Trials Roles Classes Pathways Study Profile Bioassays Related Drugs Related Conditions Protein Interactions Research Growth Market Indicators

Description

Safranal is a volatile, carotenoid-derived compound found in saffron, which is extracted from the stigma of Crocus sativus. It is characterized by a distinctive floral aroma and contributes significantly to the organoleptic properties of saffron. Safranal is synthesized through enzymatic degradation of crocin, a glycosylated carotenoid, during saffron processing. Studies have shown that safranal exhibits various pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and anticancer effects. Its potential benefits stem from its ability to modulate various signaling pathways, including the Nrf2-mediated antioxidant pathway and the NF-κB-mediated inflammatory pathway. The multifaceted properties of safranal have attracted considerable research interest in various fields, including food science, medicine, and cosmetics. In food science, it is explored as a flavoring agent and natural food colorant. In medicine, it is investigated for its therapeutic potential in treating neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and inflammation. Additionally, safranal is gaining recognition as a potential ingredient in cosmetics for its antioxidant and anti-aging properties.'

safranal: a monoterpene aldehyde; one of the main components responsible for the aroma of saffron; structure given in first source [Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), National Library of Medicine, extracted Dec-2023]

safranal : A monoterpenoid formally derived from beta-cyclocitral by dehydrogenation. [Chemical Entities of Biological Interest (ChEBI), Hastings J, Owen G, Dekker A, Ennis M, Kale N, Muthukrishnan V, Turner S, Swainston N, Mendes P, Steinbeck C. (2016). ChEBI in 2016: Improved services and an expanding collection of metabolites. Nucleic Acids Res]

Cross-References

ID SourceID
PubMed CID61041
CHEMBL ID3183495
CHEBI ID53169
SCHEMBL ID23561
MeSH IDM0232850

Synonyms (51)

Synonym
2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexa-1,3-dienyl methanal
(2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexa-1,3-dienyl)methanal
einecs 204-133-7
2,6,6-trimethyl-1,3-cyclohexadienal
fema no. 3389
1,1,3-trimethyl-2-formylcyclohexa-2,4-diene
dehydro-beta-cyclocitral
2,3-dihydro-2,2,6-trimethylbenzaldehyde
safranal
1,3-cyclohexadiene-1-carboxaldehyde, 2,6,6-trimethyl-
sgawogxmmpszpb-uhfffaoysa-
inchi=1/c10h14o/c1-8-5-4-6-10(2,3)9(8)7-11/h4-5,7h,6h2,1-3h3
safranal, >=90%, stabilized
2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexa-1,3-diene-1-carbaldehyde
CHEBI:53169 ,
2,6,6-trimethyl-1,3-cyclohexadiene-1-carboxaldehyde
116-26-7
C17062
A803586
tox21_202723
NCGC00260271-01
cas-116-26-7
dtxsid7049398 ,
dtxcid4029357
unii-4393fr07ea
4393fr07ea ,
FT-0631664
AKOS022504707
SCHEMBL23561
2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexa-1,3-dienyl methanal [fhfi]
safranal [mi]
dehydro-.beta.-cyclocitral
2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexa-1,3-dienecarbaldehyde
2,6,6-trimethyl-1,3-cyclohexadiene-1-carbaldehyde #
CHEMBL3183495
J-003414
CS-0133689
HY-N7560
dehydro-b-cyclocitral
fema 3389
2,6,6-trimethyl-1,3-cyclohexadiene-1-carbaldehyde
2,6,6-trimethyl-1,3-cyclohexadienecarboxaldehyde, 9ci
1-formyl-2,6,6-trimethyl-1,3-cyclohexadiene
Q424919
mfcd00209531
D78038
safranal (>80per cent)
AS-75889
EN300-781042
SY317420
Z1255446334

Research Excerpts

Overview

Safranal is a monoterpene aldehyde found in saffron (Crocus sativus L.) petals. It is known for its antioxidant and anticancer properties. Safranal has been shown to act as an agonist at GABA(A) receptors.

ExcerptReferenceRelevance
"Safranal (Saf) is a monoterpene aldehyde produced from Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) and possesses multiple biological properties, particularly the anti-inflammatory property."( Safranal inhibits estrogen-deficiency osteoporosis by targeting Sirt1 to interfere with NF-κB acetylation.
Dai, ZH; He, GL; Jin, C; Jin, SQ; Sheng, SR; Tian, NF; Wu, YH; Xie, CL; Zhao, BY; Zheng, G; Zhou, X, 2023
)
3.07
"Safranal is a monoterpene aldehyde found in saffron (Crocus sativus L.) petals. "( Neuroprotective effect of safranal, an active ingredient of Crocus sativus , in a rat model of transient cerebral ischemia.
Forouzanfar, F; Hosseinzadeh, H; Sadeghnia, HR; Shaterzadeh, H, 2017
)
2.2
"Safranal is a component of saffron and is known for its antioxidant and anticancer properties."( Safranal Inhibits HeLa Cell Viability by Perturbing the Reassembly Potential of Microtubules.
Cheriyamundath, S; Choudhary, S; Lopus, M, 2018
)
2.64
"Safranal is an effective anticonvulsant shown to act as an agonist at GABA(A) receptors. "( Quantitative analysis of safranal in saffron extract and nanoparticle formulation by a validated high-performance thin-layer chromatographic method.
Ahmad, FJ; Akhter, S; Alam, S; Jain, GK; Khar, RK; Pathan, SA; Vohora, D; Zaidi, SM,
)
1.88

Effects

Safranal has main effect on the inhibition of metabolism and mitochondrial dysfunction. Safranal also has a good impact to protect the secondary structure of incubated HSA.

ExcerptReferenceRelevance
"Safranal also has a good impact to protect the secondary structure of incubated HSA."( Modulation of amyloid fibril formation of plasma protein by saffron constituent "safranal": Spectroscopic and imaging analyses.
Abdullah, MMS; Al-Lohedan, HA; Ali, MS; Altaf, M; Farah, MA; Shakeel Iqubal, SM; Tabassum, S; Tariq, M; Wabaidur, SM, 2019
)
1.46
"Safranal has main effect on the inhibition of metabolism and mitochondrial dysfunction."( Comprehensive proteomics and sialiomics of the anti-proliferative activity of safranal on triple negative MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines.
Ansari, AM; Ashrafian, S; Ghassempour, A; Jensen, P; Larsen, MR; Nawrocki, A; Rezadoost, H; Zarrineh, M, 2022
)
1.67
"Safranal has shown good myocardial protection in recent studies, but the mechanism of its role in myocardial injury caused by sympathetic hyperactivation remains unclear."( Effect and mechanism of safranal on ISO-induced myocardial injury based on network pharmacology.
He, W; Kang, Y; Li, X; Liu, L; Ma, K; Shan, L; Wang, R; Xie, Y; Yan, M; Zhao, J, 2023
)
1.94
"Safranal also has a good impact to protect the secondary structure of incubated HSA."( Modulation of amyloid fibril formation of plasma protein by saffron constituent "safranal": Spectroscopic and imaging analyses.
Abdullah, MMS; Al-Lohedan, HA; Ali, MS; Altaf, M; Farah, MA; Shakeel Iqubal, SM; Tabassum, S; Tariq, M; Wabaidur, SM, 2019
)
1.46

Actions

ExcerptReferenceRelevance
"Safranal plays a protective role in myocardial injury induced by sympathetic hyperactivation by downregulating the TNF signaling pathway."( Effect and mechanism of safranal on ISO-induced myocardial injury based on network pharmacology.
He, W; Kang, Y; Li, X; Liu, L; Ma, K; Shan, L; Wang, R; Xie, Y; Yan, M; Zhao, J, 2023
)
2.66

Treatment

Safranal treatment suppressed immunoreactivity and expression of the inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, TNF-α, and p38 MAPK, and increased expression of IL-10 after SCI. Pretreatment with safranal (40 and 160 μM) significantly attenuated OGD-induced PC12 cell death, oxidative damage, and apoptosis.

ExcerptReferenceRelevance
"Safranal treatment enhanced the expression of NRF2, whereas, si-RNA mediated silencing of Nrf2 abrogated the anti-NLRP3 effect of safranal."( Safranal inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome activation by preventing ASC oligomerization.
Ahsan, AU; Ali, M; Bharate, SB; Chibber, P; Datt, M; Digra, SK; Gupta, M; Kumar, A; Singh, G; Singh, S; Vishwakarma, RA; Wani, A, 2021
)
2.79
"Safranal treatment was applied to the treatment groups for a period of 4 weeks."( Investigation of the anti-inflammatory effects of safranal on high-fat diet and multiple low-dose streptozotocin induced type 2 diabetes rat model.
Hazman, Ö; Ovalı, S, 2015
)
1.39
"Safranal pretreatment to these allergically inflamed mice lead to a significant decrease in airway hyper-responsiveness and airway cellular infiltration to the lungs."( Safranal of Crocus sativus L. inhibits inducible nitric oxide synthase and attenuates asthma in a mouse model of asthma.
Bukhari, SI; Dhar, MK; Kaul, S; Pattnaik, B; Rayees, S, 2015
)
2.58
"Safranal treatment suppressed immunoreactivity and expression of the inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, TNF-α, and p38 MAPK, and increased expression of IL-10 after SCI, suggesting an anti-inflammatory effect."( Neuroprotective effects of safranal in a rat model of traumatic injury to the spinal cord by anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory and edema-attenuating.
Dang, X; Fan, L; Ma, J; Song, J; Wang, K; Zhang, C; Zou, Y, 2015
)
1.44
"Pretreatment with safranal (40 and 160 μM) significantly attenuated OGD-induced PC12 cell death, oxidative damage, and apoptosis."( Safranal protects against ischemia-induced PC12 cell injury through inhibiting oxidative stress and apoptosis.
Adab, A; Asadpour, E; Boroushaki, MT; Dastpeiman, SH; Forouzanfar, F; Hosseinzadeh, H; Sadeghnia, HR, 2021
)
2.39
"Treatment with safranal (0.75mg/kg) showed a significant reduction in the immobility time compared to the non-treated stress group, while, the treatment improved the number of crossing in rats submitted to restraint stress versus the vehicle-treated stress rats."( Anti-oxidative effects of safranal on immobilization-induced oxidative damage in rat brain.
Azimi-Nezhad, M; Farkhondeh, T; Samarghandian, S; Samini, F, 2017
)
1.09
"Treatment with safranal significantly increased cell viability following GA or QA insults at concentrations higher than 1 μM (p<0.01)."( Safranal Attenuates Excitotoxin-Induced Oxidative OLN-93 Cells Injury.
Alavi, MS; Barzegar, H; Fanoudi, S; Fard, AV; Hosseini, M; Sadeghnia, HR; Soukhtanloo, M, 2019
)
2.3
"Treatment with safranal was more effective in improvement of most pathological changes, total and differential WBC count as well as serum histamine level (p<0.05-0.001)."( The effect of the extract of Crocus sativus and its constituent safranal, on lung pathology and lung inflammation of ovalbumin sensitized guinea-pigs.
Boskabady, MH; Byrami, G; Tabatabaee, A, 2012
)
0.96

Bioavailability

ExcerptReferenceRelevance
" This research aims to prepare nanoemulsion with the concept; to increase the bioavailability in order to reduce oxidative stress-induced brain injury as well as to evaluate the brain-drug targeting following non-invasive nasal route administration in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) animal model."( The effect of safranal loaded mucoadhesive nanoemulsion on oxidative stress markers in cerebral ischemia.
Abbas Naqvi, A; Ahmad, FJ; Ahmad, N; Ahmad, R; Al-Ghamdi, MS; Alam, MA; Ashafaq, M, 2017
)
0.82
" Both compounds exhibit oral bioavailability and absorbance."( Interactions of Apigenin and Safranal with the 5HT1A and 5HT2A Receptors and Behavioral Effects in Depression and Anxiety: A Molecular Docking, Lipid-Mediated Molecular Dynamics, and In Vivo Analysis.
Abidi, SH; Ahmad, S; Amin, F; Gabr, GA; Ibrahim, MAA; Khaliq, S; Khan, A; Rizwan-Ul-Hasan, S; Shawky, AM; Sidhom, PA; Tikmani, P, 2022
)
1.01
[information is derived through text-mining from research data collected from National Library of Medicine (NLM), extracted Dec-2023]

Drug Classes (1)

ClassDescription
monoterpenoidAny terpenoid derived from a monoterpene. The term includes compounds in which the C10 skeleton of the parent monoterpene has been rearranged or modified by the removal of one or more skeletal atoms (generally methyl groups).
[compound class information is derived from Chemical Entities of Biological Interest (ChEBI), Hastings J, Owen G, Dekker A, Ennis M, Kale N, Muthukrishnan V, Turner S, Swainston N, Mendes P, Steinbeck C. (2016). ChEBI in 2016: Improved services and an expanding collection of metabolites. Nucleic Acids Res]

Pathways (1)

PathwayProteinsCompounds
crocetin biosynthesis013
crocetin biosynthesis113

Protein Targets (3)

Potency Measurements

ProteinTaxonomyMeasurementAverage (µ)Min (ref.)Avg (ref.)Max (ref.)Bioassay(s)
GLI family zinc finger 3Homo sapiens (human)Potency11.19820.000714.592883.7951AID1259369; AID1259392
estrogen nuclear receptor alphaHomo sapiens (human)Potency4.76320.000229.305416,493.5996AID743075
nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells 1 (p105), isoform CRA_aHomo sapiens (human)Potency42.452519.739145.978464.9432AID1159509
[prepared from compound, protein, and bioassay information from National Library of Medicine (NLM), extracted Dec-2023]

Bioassays (2)

Assay IDTitleYearJournalArticle
AID1158610Inhibition of recombinant human MAO-A expressed in insect cells assessed as inhibition of oxidation of kynuramine to 4-hydroxyquinoline after 20 mins by fluorescence spectrophotometry2014European journal of medicinal chemistry, Jul-23, Volume: 82New insights into the biological properties of Crocus sativus L.: chemical modifications, human monoamine oxidases inhibition and molecular modeling studies.
AID1158611Inhibition of recombinant human MAO-B expressed in insect cells assessed as inhibition of oxidation of kynuramine to 4-hydroxyquinoline after 20 mins by fluorescence spectrophotometry2014European journal of medicinal chemistry, Jul-23, Volume: 82New insights into the biological properties of Crocus sativus L.: chemical modifications, human monoamine oxidases inhibition and molecular modeling studies.
[information is prepared from bioassay data collected from National Library of Medicine (NLM), extracted Dec-2023]

Research

Studies (158)

TimeframeStudies, This Drug (%)All Drugs %
pre-19900 (0.00)18.7374
1990's3 (1.90)18.2507
2000's27 (17.09)29.6817
2010's94 (59.49)24.3611
2020's34 (21.52)2.80
[information is prepared from research data collected from National Library of Medicine (NLM), extracted Dec-2023]

Market Indicators

Research Demand Index: 31.55

According to the monthly volume, diversity, and competition of internet searches for this compound, as well the volume and growth of publications, there is estimated to be moderate demand-to-supply ratio for research on this compound.

MetricThis Compound (vs All)
Research Demand Index31.55 (24.57)
Research Supply Index5.11 (2.92)
Research Growth Index5.53 (4.65)
Search Engine Demand Index79.89 (26.88)
Search Engine Supply Index3.96 (0.95)

This Compound (31.55)

All Compounds (24.57)

Study Types

Publication TypeThis drug (%)All Drugs (%)
Trials3 (1.86%)5.53%
Reviews13 (8.07%)6.00%
Case Studies0 (0.00%)4.05%
Observational0 (0.00%)0.25%
Other145 (90.06%)84.16%
[information is prepared from research data collected from National Library of Medicine (NLM), extracted Dec-2023]