藏红花素的抗肿瘤作用

Anticancer effect of crocin

藏红花素是从藏红花中提取出来的一种化学成分，是藏红花最主要的一种色素。近年来对宫颈癌、膀胱癌、自血病、舌鳞癌、结肠癌、胰腺癌等的研究表明，藏红花素可能通过增加caspase-3切割、调控bcl-2／bax的比例、抑制smvivin基因的表达而诱导肿瘤细胞凋亡。通过抑制cyclinDI的表达、上调p27“”蛋白表达，使细胞周期停滞，从而抑制肿瘤增殖。还可以通过脂质体包封提高细胞毒性效应，来发挥抗肿瘤作用。体内研究表明，藏红花素无明显不良反应，是一种有效的化学治疗和化学预防药物，有希望用于肿瘤临床治疗。

Crocin is a chemical extraction from saffron and it is the most important kind of pigment of saffron. Recently, the research on cervical cancer, bladder cancer, leukemia, tongue squamous cell carci- noma, colon cancer, pancreatic cancer shows thai croein has a role in inducing apoptosis of the tumor ceils by activating easpase-3, regulating the ratio of bcl-2/bax and repressing the expression of survivin. Crocin has a strong inhibitory effect on tumor proliferation by inducing cell cycle to arrest through down-regulating the expres- sion of cyclin DI and up-regulating the expression of p27kipl. Crocin can also exert antitumor effects by liposome encapsulation to enhance cytotoxic effect. Crocin is a kind of effective chemical for tumor treatment and preven- tion with no significant toxico- and by-effect in vivo, and is likely to be used as an anticancer drug clinically in the future.