Production of a cytotoxic proteoglycan using callus culture of saffron corms (Crocus sativus L.).

Saffron corms have been demonstrated to contain a proteoglycan that inhibits growth of human tumor cells. In this study, we show strong evidence indicating that callus cultures of saffron corm also synthesize such glycoconjugate. This compound is cytotoxic against human cervical epithelioid carcinoma cells (IC50 = 7 mg ml-1), and consists of approximately 90% carbohydrate and 10% protein. In order to optimize the glycoconjugate purification to complete functional and therapeutic studies, we have designed an improved method consisting of anion-exchange chromatography and reversed-phase HPLC, which can be easily scaled-up.