scholarly journals Black Cumin (Nigella sativa L.): A Comprehensive Review on Phytochemistry, Health Benefits, Molecular Pharmacology, and Safety

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1784
Author(s):  
Md. Abdul Hannan ◽  
Md. Ataur Rahman ◽  
Abdullah Al Mamun Sohag ◽  
Md. Jamal Uddin ◽  
Raju Dash ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nigella Sativa ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Molecular Pharmacology ◽  
Active Components ◽  
Drug Induced ◽  
Current Effort ◽  
Black Cumin ◽  
Pharmaceutical Industries

Mounting evidence support the potential benefits of functional foods or nutraceuticals for human health and diseases. Black cumin (Nigella sativa L.), a highly valued nutraceutical herb with a wide array of health benefits, has attracted growing interest from health-conscious individuals, the scientific community, and pharmaceutical industries. The pleiotropic pharmacological effects of black cumin, and its main bioactive component thymoquinone (TQ), have been manifested by their ability to attenuate oxidative stress and inflammation, and to promote immunity, cell survival, and energy metabolism, which underlie diverse health benefits, including protection against metabolic, cardiovascular, digestive, hepatic, renal, respiratory, reproductive, and neurological disorders, cancer, and so on. Furthermore, black cumin acts as an antidote, mitigating various toxicities and drug-induced side effects. Despite significant advances in pharmacological benefits, this miracle herb and its active components are still far from their clinical application. This review begins with highlighting the research trends in black cumin and revisiting phytochemical profiles. Subsequently, pharmacological attributes and health benefits of black cumin and TQ are critically reviewed. We overview molecular pharmacology to gain insight into the underlying mechanism of health benefits. Issues related to pharmacokinetic herb–drug interactions, drug delivery, and safety are also addressed. Identifying knowledge gaps, our current effort will direct future research to advance potential applications of black cumin and TQ in health and diseases.

scholarly journals Insights into the Protective Effects of Thymoquinone against Toxicities Induced by Chemotherapeutic Agents

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 226
Author(s):  
Juveriya Farooq ◽  
Rokeya Sultana ◽  
Tahreen Taj ◽  
Syed Mohammed Basheeruddin Asdaq ◽  
Abdulkhaliq J. Alsalman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nigella Sativa ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Antioxidant Properties ◽  
Volatile Oil ◽  
Chemotherapeutic Agents ◽  
Herbal Remedies ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Drug Induced ◽  
Black Cumin

The drugs used to treat cancer not only kill fast-growing cancer cells, but also kill or slow the growth of healthy cells, causing systemic toxicities that lead to altered functioning of normal cells. Most chemotherapeutic agents have serious toxicities associated with their use, necessitating extreme caution and attention. There is a growing interest in herbal remedies because of their pharmacological activities, minimal side effects, and low cost. Thymoquinone, a major component of the volatile oil of Nigella sativa Linn, also known as black cumin or black seeds, is commonly used in Middle Eastern countries as a condiment. It is also utilized for medicinal purposes and possesses antidiabetic, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, anti-microbial, immunomodulatory, and antioxidant properties. This review attempts to compile the published literature demonstrating thymoquinone’s protective effect against chemotherapeutic drug-induced toxicities.

scholarly journals De-Colourisation of Textile Dye Effluents using cost-effective Nigella Sativa Seed Waste

2020 ◽  
Vol 06 (9S) ◽  
pp. 78-82
Author(s):  
Raja Balasaraswathi S and Kiruba T
Keyword(s):  
Removal Efficiency ◽  
Dye Removal ◽  
Nigella Sativa ◽  
Effluent Treatment ◽  
Textile Dye ◽  
Active Components ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Black Cumin ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Nigella Sativa Seed

The textile industry is one of the major industries contributing to water pollution. The wet processing of textiles involves the usage of a wide variety of chemicals and dyes. This water-intensive process can potentially affect the water bodies by its effluents. The treatment of dye effluents and reusing of the water could be the possible solution to reduce the impact. Adsorption is one of the most common methods used for textile effluent treatment. Various bio-adsorbents are explored to make the adsorption more sustainable. Nigella Sativa (Black cumin) seeds and its oil are having good medicinal value. The seed-waste left after the oil extraction is found to have active components that can be used as an effective bio-adsorbent. The dye removal efficiency of Nigella Sativa seed-waste is investigated under different experimental conditions (varied adsorbent dose, temperature, pH, and contact time) for reactive dyes. The maximum removal efficiency of 91% is obtained at the optimized experimental condition. Thus the study emphasizes that the no-cost Nigella Sativa seed-waste can be used as an effective bio-adsorbent for reactive dye removal from dye effluents.

Anticancer Activity of Nigella sativa (Black Seed) — A Review

2011 ◽  
Vol 39 (06) ◽  
pp. 1075-1091 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Akram Randhawa ◽  
Mastour Safar Alghamdi
Keyword(s):  
Nigella Sativa ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Active Components ◽  
Anticancer Activities ◽  
Anticancer Effects ◽  
Medicinal Properties ◽  
Preclinical And Clinical Studies ◽  
Work Done ◽  
Derivatives Of ◽  
Flavoring Agent

Nigella sativa (N. sativa) seed has been an important nutritional flavoring agent and natural remedy for many ailments for centuries in ancient systems of medicine, e.g. Unani, Ayurveda, Chinese and Arabic Medicines. Many active components have been isolated from N. sativa, including thymoquinone, thymohydroquinone, dithymoquinone, thymol, carvacrol, nigellimine-N-oxide, nigellicine, nigellidine and alpha-hederin. In addition, quite a few pharmacological effects of N. sativa seed, its oil, various extracts and active components have been identified to include immune stimulation, anti-inflammation, hypoglycemic, antihypertensive, antiasthmatic, antimicrobial, antiparasitic, antioxidant and anticancer effects. Only a few authors have reviewed the medicinal properties of N. sativa and given some description of the anticancer effects. A literature search has revealed that a lot more studies have been recently carried out related to the anticancer activities of N. sativa and some of its active compounds, such as thymoquinone and alpha-hederin. Acute and chronic toxicity studies have recently confirmed the safety of N. sativa oil and its most abundant active component, thymoquinone, particularly when given orally. The present work is aimed at summarizing the extremely valuable work done by various investigators on the effects of N. sativa seed, its extracts and active principles against cancer. Those related to the underlying mechanism of action, derivatives of thymoquinone, nano thymoquinone and combinations of thymoquinone with the currently used cytotoxic drugs are of particular interest. We hope this review will encourage interested researchers to conduct further preclinical and clinical studies to evaluate the anticancer activities of N. sativa, its active constituents and their derivatives.

A Review on Possible Therapeutic Effect of Nigella sativa and Thymoquinone in Neurodegenerative Diseases

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 412-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saeed Samarghandian ◽  
Tahereh Farkhondeh ◽  
Fariborz Samini
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Nigella Sativa ◽  
Neurological Diseases ◽  
Volatile Oil ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Active Components ◽  
Neuroprotective Effects ◽  
Black Cumin ◽  
Main Components

Background & Objective: Medicinal plants have attracted great attention in the recent years and is increasingly applied instead of the chemical drugs. Several documents showed that herbal medicine traditionally and clinically applied in the cure and prevention of several diseases. In the recent years, different medicinal plants and their main components have been chosen in neurological therapy. The less toxic effects, availability, and lower price of medicinal plants versus synthetic substances make them as excellent and simple selection in the treatment of nervous diseases. Nigella sativa (N. Sativa) L. (Ranunculaceae), well recognized as black cumin, has been utilized as a medicinal plant that has a strong traditional background. Thymoquinone (TQ) is one of the main active components of the volatile oil of N. sativa seeds and most effects and actions of N. Sativa are mainly related to TQ. The several pharmacological properties of N. sativa and TQ have been found, for example; anti-tumor, anti-microbial, anti-histaminic, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidant effects. Many reviews have investigated this valuable plant and its components, but none of them focused on their neuroprotective effects. Therefore, the aim of the present review was to show comprehensive and neuropharmacological properties of N. sativa and TQ. In this review, various studies on scientific databases regarding the effects of N. sativa and TQ in neurological diseases have been introduced. Studies on the neuroprotective effects of N. sativa and TQ which were published between1979 and 2018, were searched using various databases. The results of these studies showed that N. sativa and TQ have the protective effects against neurodegenerative diseases, including; Alzheimer, depression, encephalomyelitis, epilepsy, ischemia, Parkinson, and traumatic brain injury have been discussed in the cell lines and experimental animal models. Although there are many studies indicating the beneficial actions of this plant in the nervous system, the number of research projects relating to the human reports is rare. Conclusion: Therefore, better designed clinical trials in humans are needed to confirm these effects.

Optimisation of the Oil Extraction from Nigella sativa Seeds Using Response Surface Methodology

2017 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 331-336
Author(s):  
Gabriela Isopencu ◽  
Mirela Marfa ◽  
Iuliana Jipa ◽  
Marta Stroescu ◽  
Anicuta Stoica Guzun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Response Surface Methodology ◽  
Response Surface ◽  
Nigella Sativa ◽  
Polynomial Equation ◽  
Herbaceous Plant ◽  
Box Behnken Design ◽  
Pareto Analysis ◽  
Black Cumin ◽  
Mediterranean Countries ◽  
Experimental Values

Nigella sativa, also known as black cumin, an annual herbaceous plant growing especially in Mediterranean countries, has recently gained considerable interest not only for its use as spice and condiment but also for its healthy properties of the fixed and essential oil and its potential as a biofuel. Nigella sativa seeds fixed oil, due to its high content in linoleic acid followed by oleic and palmitic acid, could be beneficial to human health. The objective of this study is to determine the optimum conditions for the solvent extraction of Nigella sativa seeds fixed oil using a three-level, three-factor Box-Behnken design (BBD) under response surface methodology (RSM). The obtained experimental data, fitted by a second-order polynomial equation were analysed by Pareto analysis of variance (ANOVA). From a total of 10 coefficients of the statistical model only 5 are important. The obtained experimental values agreed with the predicted ones.

The protective effect of Nigella Sativa oil extract against neurotoxicity induced by Valproic acid

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (9) ◽  
pp. 5474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Basant Mahmoud Morsy ◽  
Ghada Mohamed Safwat ◽  
Doaa Ahmed Hussein ◽  
Reem Mohamed Samy
Keyword(s):  
Valproic Acid ◽  
Nigella Sativa ◽  
Liver Lipid ◽  
Black Cumin ◽  
Enzymatic Antioxidant ◽  
Nigella Sativa Oil ◽  
Active Chemical ◽  
Oil Extract ◽  
Liver Lipid Peroxidation

Nigella sativa (NS), commonly known as black cumin, has been used for medicinal purposes. Traditionally the seeds and its oil are used in several diseases. The greatest part of the remedial properties of this plant is due to the presence of thymoquinone (TQ) which is a major active chemical component of the essential oil. The current study performed to evaluate the effect of Nigella sativa Oil (NSO) extract on the neurotoxic and hepatotoxic potentials from Valproic acid (VPA) administration. Also we summarize recent findings emphasizing the role of main neurotoxic and hepatotoxic markers and oxidative stress in study’s case. Neurotoxicity was induced by VPA at dose of (500 mg/kg b.wt) by gastric intubation daily for 30 day. These rats received NSO extract was given orally at dose of (0.5 ml/kg b.wt) daily for 30 days after VPA administration. The current results revealed that NSO extract treatment ameliorated significantly the elevated levels of the neurotoxic and hepatotoxic biomarkers which elevated as a result to VPA administration. Moreover, NSO extract treatment ameliorated the non-enzymatic antioxidant, brain and liver lipid peroxidation (LPO) and glutathione (GSH) concentration and the enzymatic antioxidant, brain and liver catalase(CAT) activity.

Flavor halos andconsumer perceptions offood healthfulness

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 685-707
Author(s):  
Nguyen Pham ◽  
Maureen Morrin ◽  
Melissa G. Bublitz
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Biases ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Repeated Exposure ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Medicinal Products ◽  
Dietary Compliance ◽  
Health Goals ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Prevalence Of Obesity ◽  
Cough Syrup

Purpose This paper aims to examine how repeated exposure to health-related products that contain flavors (e.g. cherry-flavored cough syrup) create “flavor halos” that can bias perceptions about the healthfulness of foods that contain the same flavors (e.g. cherry-flavored cheesecake). Design/methodology/approach Six experiments, using both between- and within-subjects designs, explore the effects of flavor halos in hypothetical and actual consumption settings. They test the underlying mechanism, rule out competing explanations and identify an opportunity to correct the cognitive biases created by flavor halos. Findings Flavor halos can be created via repeated exposure to flavored medicinal products in the marketplace. These flavor halos bias dieters’ judgments about the healthfulness of vice foods containing such flavors. Dieters are motivated toward a directional conclusion about food healthfulness to mediate the guilt associated with consuming indulgent products. Providing dieters with corrective information mitigates these effects. Research limitations/implications The authors examine one way flavor halos are created –via repeated exposure to flavored medicinal products. Future research should explore other ways flavor halos are created and other ways to mitigate their effects. Practical implications Considering the prevalence of obesity, organizations striving to help consumers pursue health goals (e.g. weight watchers) can use flavors to improve dietary compliance. Health-care organizations can help consumers understand and correct the cognitive biases associated with flavor halos. Originality/value By identifying flavor halos, this work adds to the literature investigating how flavors influence consumers’ judgments about healthfulness. The results suggest dieters apply flavor halos as they engage in motivated reasoning to license their indulgent desires.

scholarly journals Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia after COVID-19 Vaccination: In Search of the Underlying Mechanism

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 559
Author(s):  
Piotr Rzymski ◽  
Bartłomiej Perek ◽  
Robert Flisiak
Keyword(s):  
Direct Interaction ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cross Reactivity ◽  
Spike Protein ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Platelet Factor ◽  
Precautionary Measures ◽  
Adenoviral Proteins

The rollout of COVID-19 vaccines brings hope for successful pandemic mitigation and getting the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 under control. The vaccines authorized in Europe displayed a good safety profile in the clinical trials. However, during their post-authorization use, unusual thrombotic events associated with thrombocytopenia have rarely been reported for vector vaccines. This led to the temporary suspension of the AZD1222 vaccine (Oxford/AstraZeneca) in various European countries and the Ad26.COV2 vaccine (Janssen/Johnson&Johnson) in the United States, with regulatory bodies launching investigations into potential causal associations. The thromboembolic reactions were also rarely reported after mRNA vaccines. The exact cause of these adverse effects remains to be elucidated. The present paper outlines the hypotheses on the mechanisms behind the very rare thrombotic thrombocytopenia reported after the COVID-19 vaccination, along with currently existing evidence and future research prospects. The following are discussed: (i) the role of antibodies against platelet factor 4 (PF4), (ii) the direct interaction between adenoviral vector and platelets, (iii) the cross-reactivity of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein with PF4, (iv) cross-reactivity of anti-adenovirus antibodies and PF4, (v) interaction between spike protein and platelets, (vi) the platelet expression of spike protein and subsequent immune response, and (vii) the platelet expression of other adenoviral proteins and subsequent reactions. It is also plausible that thrombotic thrombocytopenia after the COVID-19 vaccine is multifactorial. The elucidation of the causes of these adverse events is pivotal in taking precautionary measures and managing vaccine hesitancy. It needs to be stressed, however, that the reported cases are currently sporadic and that the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines vastly outweigh their potential risks.

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