Neuroprotective properties of exosomes and chitosan nanoparticles of Tomafran, a bioengineered tomato enriched in crocins

Saffron has many pharmacological properties in addition to being a frequently used food seasoning. Crocin and picrocrocin which accumulate in saffron stigma, are responsible for these pharmacological properties. These natural products have health‐promoting effects for the prevention and treatment of numerous diseases, including age‐related cognitive and memory disfunction. Currently, crocin and picrocrocin are obtained from saffron, considered as the spice with the highest price in the market. To develop an efficient and low‐cost approach to producing these compounds with high bioactivity, biosynthetic genes isolated from saffron can be exploited in the metabolic engineering of heterologous hosts and the production of crocins in productive crop plants. Recently, we engineered tomato fruit producing crocins (Tomafran). In this study, we demonstrated that crocin-rich extract, encapsulated in chitosan or in exosomes may function as a neuroprotective strategy. Crocins contained in the Tomafran extracts and much lower doses in chitosan nanoparticles or exosomes were enough to rescue the neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y after damage caused by okadaic acid. Our results confirm the neuroprotective effect of Tomafran and its exosomes that may be useful for the delay or prevention of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. Graphical Abstract