Saffron: The Key to Youth and Delay in Aging

Aging is a progressive and gradual process accompanied by a decrease and disruption in the function of cells, tissues, and organs in living organisms, affecting the quality of life and increasing the risk of various diseases. An imbalance between the production and removal of reactive oxygen species by the antioxidant defense systems in the body leads to increased oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and inhibition of autophagy, as well as an increase in advanced glycation end products, induced aging. Today, the elderly population is rising and anti-aging strategies have become an important issue worldwide. Saffron is obtained from the dried stigmas of the flowers of the Crocus sativus plant of the Iridaceae family, which has been used as a spice for centuries due to its color, flavor, and aroma. Saffron and its active compounds (crocin, crocetin, and safranal) have received attention for their anti-aging properties. This review article aims to provide information about the anti-aging effect of saffron and its active compounds by explaining the possible mechanisms of action. In this review article, information was collected from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar using the keywords saffron, crocin, crocetin, safranal, Crocus sativus L, aging and age-related from the beginning to 2024. Saffron and its active ingredients probably reduce oxidative damage and inhibit apoptosis, and cell death due to their strong antioxidant effect by scavenging reactive oxygen species and inhibiting oxidative stress. They also have health-promoting properties with strong anti-inflammatory effects. In several studies, the protective effects of saffron and its active compounds in delaying the aging process in various tissues have been evaluated. Overall, the results of these studies show that saffron and its active compounds are effective in delaying the aging process due to their high antioxidant capacity and scavenging of free radicals by improving the status of the antioxidant defense system and inhibiting oxidative stress in the cells, followed by inhibiting apoptosis and inflammation.