Saffron-Derived Bioactive Molecules and Their in-vitro Activity on Kidney and Bladder Tumoral Cells

: Saffron is the dried stigmas of Crocus sativus L. Crocus sativus L belongs to the family of Iridaceae and is mainly cultivated in several countries with mild and dry climates. It is one of the most expensive spices in the world and the main reason for its great cost is that saffron is still cultivated and harvested as it has been for millennia by hand. Saffron’s name is derived from the Arab word for yellow, a name reflecting the high concentration of carotenoid pigments present in the saffron flowers’ stigmas which contribute most to the colour profile of this spice. Saffron contains numerous bioactive molecules known for their antioxidant activities, but also some such as picrocrocin, crocetin and Safranal (Sfr), Crocin (Crc) which are known to possess the ability to inhibit tumoral growth by inducing apoptosis. The aim of this study is to understand whether these four saffron-derived bioactive molecules display tumoral growth inhibition activity on kidney and bladder cancer cell lines.