Crocus sativus (saffron), a member of the Iridaceae family, is widely recognized for its color, aroma, and taste, making it a valuable natural flavoring agent. This study investigates the bioactive potential of saffron petal and stigma extracts, focusing on their antioxidant, anticholinesterase, and antilipase activities, along with pharmacokinetic properties and safety assessments. GC-MS analysis identified 50 compounds in petals and 28 in stigmas. Major petal constituents included 1,8-Dihydroxy-3-methylbenzobphenanthridine-5,7–12-trione (21.89%) and 1,2,3-Triphenyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindole (13.65%), while stigmas were dominated by 2-Propanol, 1,1'-oxybis- (77.47%) and 8,11-Dimethyl-9,10 diphenyldicyclo5.4.0dodeca-2,5,7(1),8,10-pentaene (19.69%). Antioxidant evaluations revealed that the methanolic petal extract exhibited the strongest ABTS radical scavenging activity (IC₅₀: 20.31 ± 2.39 µg/mL), whereas the stigma extract performed best in the phenanthroline assay (A₀.₅: 27.06 ± 1.44 µg/mL). Enzymatic inhibition studies indicated that only methanolic stigma extract significantly inhibited acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase, with IC₅₀ values of 131.82 ± 3.03 µg/mL and 19.76 ± 1.20 µg/mL, respectively. Additionally, the methanolic stigma extract demonstrated promising antilipase activity. ADMET predictions confirmed the safety of these extracts, revealing no mutagenicity and high LD₅₀ values, indicating their potential for therapeutic applications. These findings suggest that saffron bioactive compounds could be utilized in food preservation and the development of novel treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and obesity. Further in vivo studies are recommended to validate these findings and explore clinical applications.
Foued et al. (2025) studied this question.