MMP9 and Arthritis: Additionally, Hemshekhar et al. reported that crocin (10 and 20 mg/kg), one of the major active constituents of C. sativus, alleviates MMP-13, MMP-3, MMP-9, TNF-α, IL-1β, NF-κB, IL-6, COX-2, PGE2, and ROS levels following Freund's complete adjuvant- (FCA-) induced arthritis in rats [61].