The Carotenoid Compound of Saffron Crocetin Alleviates Effects of Ischemia Reperfusion Injury via a Mechanism Possibly Involving MiR-127

Renal impairment is associated with high mortality rates in severely ill patients. The need to prevent and treat renal damage underlines the importance of understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms that characterize it. This could also enable early diagnosis and the design of alternative therapeutic approaches. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of crocetin, a known antioxidant, on the prevention of renal damage due to ischemia-reperfusion injury and the investigation of the mechanisms involved. The present study was performed on C57BL/6 mice aged 10-12 weeks. The animals had access to water and food ad libitum. The experiment, as described in materials and methods, was completed at 24 h, in which case the kidneys were removed for further study, both at tissue morphology (with immunohistochemistry) and changes in the level of miRs’ expression by qRT-PCR. Accordingly, using the automatic precision analyzer, the serum levels of the basic parameters currently used clinically for the monitoring of renal function were determined. The administration of crocetin, despite the short presence of the substance in the body, affects all the biochemical parameters analyzed (urea, creatinine, uric acid, and ions of Na, K, Cl, P, Mg and Ca), ​​causing significant decrease of their measured values. Crocetin also resulted in a significant limitation of the inflammation elements and the degree of epithelial damage. Furthermore, the administration of crocetin appears to restore levels of expression of miR21, miR127 and miR132.