MOLECULE

Safranal

Safranal belongs to the class of organic compounds known as organic oxides which contain an oxide group. Safranal is a neutral compound. Safranal is a component of saffron (PMID: 28705037), the spice made from drying the stigmas and styles of crocus flowers (Crocus sativus). Safranal, the constituent primarily responsible for the aroma of saffron, has a sweet, fresh, and herbal taste and is a flavouring ingredient. Safranal has been detected in cauliflowers, cumin seeds, elderberry, figs, lemon, rooibos, saffrons, wolfberry, and tea leaf making safranal a potential biomarker for the consumption of these foods. Safranal is found in cannabis plants (PMID:6991645). Safranal is an effective anticonvulsant (PMID: 29609687) shown to act as an agonist at the gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA)A-benzodiazepine receptor complex (PMID: 16707256). Safranal also exhibits high antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity (PMID: 16317646), along with cytotoxicity towards cancer cells in vitro (PMID: 8620447). It has also been shown to have antidepressant properties (PMID: 15341662).