Safranal is an organic compound isolated from saffron, the spice consisting of the stigmas of crocus flowers (Crocus sativus). It is the constituent primarily responsible for the aroma of saffron.
Safranal is an effective anticonvulsant in animal models, shown to act as an agonist at GABAA receptors.[1][2] Safranal also exhibits high antioxidant activity,[3][4] along with cytotoxicity towards cancer cells in vitro.[5] One of its anticancer mechanisms of action involves disruption of the normal assembly dynamics of cellular microtubules.[6] It has also been shown to have antidepressant properties in animals and pilot studies in humans.[7][8]
^Hosseinzadeh H; Talebzadeh F (December 2005). "Anticonvulsant evaluation of safranal and crocin from Crocus sativus in mice". Fitoterapia. 76 (7–8): 722–4. doi:10.1016/j.fitote.2005.07.008. PMID16253437.
^Hosseinzadeh H; Sadeghnia HR (April 2007). "Protective effect of safranal on pentylenetetrazol-induced seizures in the rat: involvement of GABAergic and opioids systems". Phytomedicine. 14 (4): 256–62. doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2006.03.007. PMID16707256.
^Cheriyamundath S, Choudhary S, and Lopus M (2017) Safranal inhibits HeLa cell viability by perturbing the reassembly potential of microtubules. Phytother Res, 32, 170-173. doi: 10.1002/ptr.5938. PMID29024138
^Yan JH; Tang KW; Zhong M; Deng NH (November 2002). "[Determination of chemical components of volatile oil from Cuminum cyminum L. by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry]". Se Pu (in Chinese). 20 (6): 569–72. PMID12683011.