Crocetin is a natural carotenoid dicarboxylic acid that is found in the crocus flower and Gardenia jasminoides (fruits). It forms brick red crystals with a melting point of 285 °C. The chemical structure of crocetin forms the central core of crocin, the compound responsible for the color of saffron. The sodium salt of crocetin, transcrocetinate sodium is an experimental drug that increases the movement of oxygen from red blood cells into hypoxic (oxygen-starved) tissues. Transcrocetinate sodium belongs to a group of substances known as bipolar trans carotenoid salts, which constitute a subclass of oxygen diffusion-enhancing compounds. Transcrocetinate sodium was one of the first such compounds discovered. Transcrocetinate sodium can be prepared by reacting saffron with sodium hydroxide and extracting the salt of the trans crocetin isomer from the solution.
-O704.gif)