Nigella sativa L. seed and seed oil: potential sources of high-value components for development of functional foods and nutraceuticals/pharmaceuticals

Computational evaluation of quinones of Nigella sativa L. as potential inhibitor of dengue virus NS5 methyltransferase

Aedes aegypti is the primary vector for the transmission of the dengue virus, which causes dengue fever, dengue hemorrhagic illness and dengue shock syndrome. There is now no antiviral medication available to treat DENV, which kills thousands of people each year and infects millions of individuals. A possible target for the creation of fresh and efficient dengue treatments is the DENV-3 NS5 MTase. So, Nigella sativa quinones were examined using in silico methods to find natural anti-DENV compounds. The in silico docking was conducted utilising the Discovery Studio software on the quinones of N. sativa and the active site of the target protein DENV-3 NS5 MTase. In addition, the druggability and pharmacokinetics of the lead compound were assessed. Dithymoquinone was comparable to the reference compound in terms of its ability to bind to the active site of target protein. Dithymoquinone met the requirements for drug likeness and Lipinski's principles, as demonstrated by the ADMET analysis and drug likeness results. The current study indicated that the dithymoquinone from N. sativa had anti-DENV activity, suggesting further drug development and dengue treatment optimisation.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Therapeutic and Phytochemical Properties of Thymoquinone Derived from Nigella sativa

BACKGROUND

Nigella sativa (N. sativa), commonly known as black seed or black cumin, belongs to the family Ranunculaceae. It contains several phytoconstituents, Thymoquinone (TQ), thymol, thymohydroquinone, carvacrol, and dithymoquinone. TQ is the main phytoconstituent present in N. sativa that is used as an herbal compound, and it is widely used as an antihypertensive, liver tonic, diuretic, digestive, anti-diarrheal, appetite stimulant, analgesic, and antibacterial agent, and in skin disorders.

OBJECTIVE

The study focused on collecting data on the therapeutic or pharmacological activities of TQ present in N. sativa seed.

METHODS

Antidiabetic, anticancer, immunomodulator, analgesic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, hepato-protective, renal protective, and antioxidant properties of TQ have been studied by various scientists.

CONCLUSION

TQ seems to have a variety of consequences on how infected cells behave at the cellular level.

Guesstimate of thymoquinone diversity in Nigella sativa L. genotypes and elite varieties collected from Indian states using HPTLC technique

Thymoquinone is a valuable metabolite derived from the Nigella sativa L. seeds and has a variety of therapeutic properties. Thymoquinone was estimated using n-hexane:ethyl acetate (8:2, v/v) green solvent system and computed at a wavelength of 254 nm using the high-performance thin-layer chromatography densitometry method in distinct varieties and genotypes congregated from different geographical regions. Genotype Ajmer Nigella-13 has the paramount thymoquinone content (247.60 µg/100 mg seed) followed by Ajmer Nigella 19 (244.5 µg/100 mg seed), while the lowest amount of thymoquinone was recorded in the genotype Ajmer Nigella-6 (42.88 µg/100 mg seed). The hierarchical cluster analysis found that the collected genotypes and elite varieties were classified into four broad clusters, and the identified chemotypes with elevated thymoquinone proportion were positioned in cluster D. Significant genotypic variation in thymoquinone content is available, that can be used in exploiting pharmaceutical applications of N. sativa L. as well as a breeding programme for specific metabolite improvement perspective.

Thymoquinone-rich black cumin oil attenuates ibotenic acid-induced excitotoxicity through glutamate receptors in Wistar rats

Inflammation-mediated alterations in glutamate neurotransmission constitute the most important pathway in the pathophysiology of various brain disorders. The excessive signalling of glutamate results in excitotoxicity, neuronal degeneration, and neuronal cell death. In the present study, we investigated the relative efficacy of black cumin (Nigella sativa) oil with high (5 % w/w) and low (2 % w/w) thymoquinone content (BCO-5 and BCO-2, respectively) in alleviating ibotenic acid-induced excitotoxicity and neuroinflammation in Wistar rats. It was found that BCO-5 reversed the abnormal behavioural patterns and the key inflammatory mediators (TNF-α and NF-κB) when treated at 5 mg/kg body weight. Immunohistochemical studies showed the potential of BCO-5 to attenuate the glutamate receptor subunits NMDA and GluR-2 along with increased glutamate decarboxylase levels in the brain tissues. Histopathological studies revealed the neuroprotection of BCO-5 against the inflammatory lesions, as evidenced by the normal cerebellum, astrocytes, and glial cells. BCO-2 on the other hand showed either a poor protective effect or no effect even at a 4-fold higher concentration of 20 mg/kg body weight indicating a very significant role of thymoquinone content on the neuroprotective effect of black cumin oil and its plausible clinical efficacy in counteracting the anxiety and stress-related neurological disorders under conditions such as depression and Alzheimer's disease.

A Narrative Review on Various Oil Extraction Methods, Encapsulation Processes, Fatty Acid Profiles, Oxidative Stability, and Medicinal Properties of Black Seed (Nigella sativa)

The current review investigates the effects of black seed (Nigella sativa) on human health, which is also used to encapsulate and oxidative stable in different food products. In recent decades, many extraction methods, such as cold pressing, supercritical fluid extraction, Soxhlet extraction, hydro distillation (HD) method, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), ultrasound-assisted extraction, steam distillation, and accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) have been used to extract the oils from black seeds under optimal conditions. Black seed oil contains essential fatty acids, in which the major fatty acids are linoleic, oleic, and palmitic acids. The oxidative stability of black seed oil is very low, due to various environmental conditions or factors (temperature and light) affecting the stability. The oxidative stability of black seed oil has been increased by using encapsulation methods, including nanoprecipitation, ultra-sonication, spray-drying, nanoprecipitation, electrohydrodynamic, atomization, freeze-drying, a electrospray technique, and coaxial electrospraying. Black seed, oil, microcapsules, and their components have been used in various food processing, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmetics industries as functional ingredients for multiple purposes. Black seed and oil contain thymoquinone as a major component, which has anti-oxidant, -diabetic, -inflammatory, -cancer, -viral, and -microbial properties, due to its phenolic compounds. Many clinical and experimental studies have indicated that the black seed and their by-products can be used to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, chronic cancer, diabetes, oxidative stress, polycystic ovary syndrome, metabolic disorders, hypertension, asthma, and skin disorders. In this review, we are focusing on black seed oil composition and increasing the stability using different encapsulation methods. It is used in various food products to increase the human nutrition and health properties.

Nanotechnology Approach for Exploring the Enhanced Bioactivities and Biochemical Characterization of Freshly Prepared Nigella sativa L. Nanosuspensions and Their Phytochemical Profile

Nigella sativa is one of the most commonly used medicinal plants as it exhibits several pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, antibacterial, anticancer, antidiabetic, and hemolytic. The purpose of this study was to apply the nanotechnology approach for exploring the enhanced bioactivities of freshly prepared Nigella sativa L. nanosuspensions and the phytochemical profile of N. sativa seed ethanolic extract. In this study, we performed the biochemical characterization of Nigella sativa L. ethanolic extract through High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Gas chromatography (GC), and bioactivities in terms of antioxidant, antidiabetic, antibacterial, and hemolytic activities of nanosuspension and extract were competitively studied. The results revealed that the nanosuspension of N. sativa seeds showed higher total phenolic (478.63 ± 5.00 mg GAE/100 g) and total flavonoid contents (192.23 ± 1.390 mg CE/100 g) than the ethanolic seed extract. The antioxidant activity was performed using the DPPH scavenging assay, and nanosuspension showed higher potential (16.74 ± 1.88%) than the extract. The antidiabetic activity was performed using antiglycation and α-amylase inhibition assays, nanosuspension showed higher antidiabetic potential [antiglycation (58 ± 0.912%)] and [bacterial α-amylase inhibition (18.0 ± 1.3675%)], respectively. Nanosuspension showed higher biofilm inhibition activity against Escherichia coli (66.44 ± 3.529%) than the extract (44.96 ± 2.238%) and ciprofloxacin (59.39 ± 3.013%). Hemolytic activity was performed and nanosuspension showed higher hemolytic activity than the extract as 7.8 ± 0.1% and 6.5 ± 0.3%, respectively. The study showed that nanosuspension had enhanced the bioavailability of bioactive plant compounds as compared to the ethanolic extract. Therefore, nanosuspension of N. sativa seed extract showed higher biochemical activities as compared to the ethanolic extract. This nanotechnology approach can be used as a platform for the development of combination protocols for the characterization of liquid state nanosuspensions in an adequate manner and also for therapeutic applications.

Identification of potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 main protease and spike receptor from 10 important spices through structure-based virtual screening and molecular dynamic study

The outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 poses a serious threat to human health and world economic activity. There is no specific drug for the treatment of COVID-19 patients at this moment. Traditionally, people have been using spices like ginger, fenugreek and onion, etc. for the remedy of a common cold. This work identifies the potential inhibitors of the main protease (Mpro) and spike (S) receptor of SARS-CoV-2 from 10 readily available spices. These two proteins, S and Mpro, play an important role during the virus entry into the host cell, and replication and transcription processes of the virus, respectively. To identify potential molecules an in-house databank containing 1040 compounds was built-up from the selected spices. Structure-based virtual screening of this databank was performed with two important SARS-CoV-2 proteins using Glide. Top hits resulted from virtual screening (VS) were subjected to molecular docking using AutoDock 4.2 and AutoDock Vina to eliminate false positives. The top six hits against Mpro and top five hits against spike receptor subjected to 130 ns molecular dynamic simulation using GROMACS. Finally, the compound 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-Mpro complexes, and compound 17-, 18-, 19-, 20- and 21- spike receptor complexes showed stability throughout the simulation time. The ADME values also supported the drug-like nature of the selected hits. These nine compounds are available in onion, garlic, ginger, peppermint, chili and fenugreek. All the spices are edible and might be used as home remedies against COVID-19 after proper biological evaluation.

HPLC Quantification of Thymoquinone Extracted from Nigella sativa L. (Ranunculaceae) Seeds and Antibacterial Activity of Its Extracts against Bacillus Species

The medicinal importance of Nigella sativa seeds for treating various ailments is portrayed by its traditional uses. Owing to its immense pharmacological importance, the thymoquinone phytoconstituent of N. sativa can prove beneficial for the South Asian countries including Pakistan, where this seed is commonly produced and healthcare facilities are limited. In this study, the antibacterial activity of various extracts of N. sativa seeds, extracted thymoquinone, and oil samples have been investigated against Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis using well and disc diffusion assay. The inhibition zones ranged between 7 and 44 mm against both the bacterial strains by well diffusion assay, while disc diffusion assay provided inhibition zones in the range of 7–23 mm. Commercial and local Kalonji oil samples were included in the study. Oil samples dissolved in methanol showed increased inhibition of bacteria. However, the extracted thymoquinone showed highest antibacterial activity. Medicine formulated using thymoquinone will prove to be an herbal alternate against the resistant microbiota associated with bacterial infections. Antibacterial activity against some Bacillus species will help signify the effect on normal gut flora when oral therapy is followed. Trying different extraction protocols can help increase extraction efficiency. Study on extraction of thymoquinone in local produce of black seed can be fruitful for conducting the stability studies and can help to gain maximum benefits from the bioactives. The crude extracts from 10 g of these seeds were subjected to preliminary phytochemical investigation. Results showed that although methanol extract had the presence of maximum phytochemicals, hexane extract was the most potent in terms of antibacterial activity. Thymoquinone, a therapeutically important bioactive in N. sativa seed, was extracted employing both solvents. TLC assay and UV spectroscopy were used for its qualitative assessment, while HPLC-UV quantification showed that 250 mg/mL of methanol extract had 368.3 μg/mL thymoquinone, while its successive extraction yielded 32.94 μg/mL thymoquinone.

Impact of zinc oxide nanoparticles and thymoquinone in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma induced in mice

BACKGROUND

The field of nanotechnology offers great opportunities for cancer therapy.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to compare the therapeutic impact of Zn oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and thymoquinone (TQ) alone or as cotherapy in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) induced in mice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study was performed on 75 female albino mice divided into Group I: EAC-bearing control group, Group II: EAC treated with TQ, Group III: EAC treated with low-dose ZnO NPs, Group IV: EAC treated with high-dose ZnO NPs, Group V: EAC treated with TQ and low-dose ZnO NPs. All groups were subjected to measurement of cell viability, ascites fluid volume, Bcl2 protein expression by Western blot analysis, cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) gene expression by a real-time polymerase chain reaction, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay levels of Beclin 1, interferon γ (INFγ), interleukin 13 (IL-13), and estimation of Zn concentrations in EAC cells and liver homogenate to evaluate its toxicity.

RESULTS

Cotherapy has an efficient anticancer effect by enhancing apoptosis and autophagy, resulting in reducing tumor cell viability and ascites fluid volume together with downregulation of Bcl2 protein expression. This cotherapy increases Beclin 1 and INFγ and decreases IL-13. ZnO NPs upregulate COX2 expression, whereas TQ downregulates its expression. High-dose ZnO NPs have more toxic effects on liver enzymes. Using TQ together with ZnO NPs can eliminate ZnO NPs liver toxicity.

CONCLUSION

The cotherapy has an efficient anticancer effect by enhancing apoptosis and autophagy. High-dose ZnO NPs have more toxic effects on liver enzymes. Using TQ together with ZnO NPs can eliminate ZnO NP liver toxicity.

Current Prospects of Nutraceuticals: A Review

Nutraceuticals are dietary supplements, utilized to ameliorate health, delay senescence, prevent diseases, and support the proper functioning of the human body. Currently, nutraceuticals are gaining substantial attention due to nutrition and therapeutic potentials. Based on their sources, they are categorized as dietary supplements and herbal bioactive compounds. The global market for nutraceutical is huge i.e. approximately USD 117 billion. Herbal nutraceutical helps in maintaining health and promoting optimal health, longevity, and quality of life. Studies have shown promising results of nutraceuticals to treat several diseases, such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, etc. In the present review, an overview of various bioactive ingredients that act as nutraceuticals (carbohydrates, lipids, edible flowers, alkaloids, medicinal plants, etc.) and their role in health benefits, has been discussed. Further application of nutraceuticals in the prevention of various diseases has also been discussed.

Characterization of nanoemulsion of Nigella sativa oil and its application in ice cream

The aim of this study was to develop ice-cream product fortified with a Nigella sativa oil (NSO) nanoemulsion at four ratios (0% control, 3%, 5% and 10%). The NSO nanoemulsion stabilized by combinations of gum arabic, sodium caseinate, and Tween-20 at three ratios (5%, 10%, and 15%) of emulsifiers. The results showed that 10% nanoemulsion has the highest stability and zeta potential (-31.92), and lowest change of PDI (0.182). The 5% nanoemulsion showed the lowest particle size (175.83 µm). The result demonstrated that NSO nanoemulsion improved the ice-cream physical properties and consumer acceptability. Among the different samples, sensory evaluation revealed that ice-cream sample of 5% nanoemulsion received more acceptability from the panelist. This results demonstrated ice cream can be fortified with NSO nanoemulsion. This means it could be used as a functional ice cream with manifold NSO health benefits.

Effects of Nigella sativa on glycemic control, lipid profiles, and biomarkers of inflammatory and oxidative stress: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effects of Nigella sativa (N. sativa) on glycemic control, lipid profiles, and biomarkers of inflammatory and oxidative stress. Two independent authors systematically examined online databases consisting of, EMBASE, Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science from inception until October 30, 2019. Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool was applied to assess the methodological quality of the studied trials. The heterogeneity among the included studies were assessed using the Cochrane's Q test and I-square (I² ) statistic. Data were pooled using a random-effects model and weighted mean difference (WMD) was considered as the overall effect size. A total of 50 trials were included in this meta-analysis. We found a significant reduction in total cholesterol (WMD: -16.80; 95% CI: -21.04, -12.55), triglycerides (WMD: -15.73; 95% CI: -20.77, -10.69), LDL-cholesterol (WMD: -18.45; 95% CI: -22.44, -14.94) and VLDL-cholesterol (WMD: -3.72; 95% CI: -7.27, -0.18) following supplementation with N. sativa. In addition, there was significant reductive effect observed with N. sativa on fasting glucose (WMD: -15.18; 95% CI: -19.82, -10.55) and HbA1C levels (WMD: -0.45; 95% CI: -0.66, -0.23). Effects of N. sativa on CRP (WMD: -3.61; 95% CI: -9.23, 2.01), TNF-α (WMD: -1.18; 95% CI: -3.23, 0.86), TAC (WMD: 0.31; 95% CI: 0.00, 0.63), and MDA levels (WMD: -0.95; 95% CI: -2.18, 0.27) were insignificant. This meta-analysis demonstrated the beneficial effects of N. sativa on fasting glucose, HbA1c, triglycerides, total-, VLDL-, LDL-cholesterol levels.

Caseinate-Stabilized Emulsions of Black Cumin and Tamanu Oils: Preparation, Characterization and Antibacterial Activity

Caseinate-stabilized emulsions of black cumin (Nigella sativa) and tamanu (Calophyllum inophyllum) oils were studied in terms of preparation, characterization, and antibacterial properties. The oils were described while using their basic characteristics, including fatty acid composition and scavenging activity. The oil-in-water (o/w) emulsions containing the studied oils were formulated, and the influence of protein stabilizer (sodium caseinate (CAS), 1-12 wt%), oil contents (5-30 wt%), and emulsification methods (high-shear homogenization vs sonication) on the emulsion properties were investigated. It was observed that, under both preparation methods, emulsions of small, initial droplet sizes were predominantly formed with CAS content that was higher than 7.5 wt%. Sonication was a more efficient emulsification procedure and was afforded emulsions with smaller droplet size throughout the entire used concentration ranges of oils and CAS when compared to high-shear homogenization. At native pH of ~ 6.5, all of the emulsions exhibited negative zeta potential that originated from the presence of caseinate. The antibacterial activities of both oils and their emulsions were investigated with respect to the growth suppression of common spoilage bacteria while using the disk diffusion method. The oils and selected emulsions were proven to act against gram positive strains, mainly against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Bacillus cereus (B. cereus); regrettably, the gram negative species were fully resistant against their action.

The protective effect of nigeglanine on dextran sulfate sodium-induced experimental colitis in mice and Caco-2 cells

Ulcerative colitis (UC) was a nonspecific inflammatory disease. The treatment of UC is imperative. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of nigeglanine on dextran sulfate sodium-induced UC in experimental mice and Caco-2 cells and define the underlying mechanism. The nigeglanine was shown a significant protective effect on the colon, significantly reduced the weight and colon length loss and inhibited intestinal epithelial cell damage. Nigeglanine also reduced proinflammatory factors and increased anti-inflammatory factor production. The results indicate that nigeglanine suppresses the nuclear factor kappa B and mitogen-activated protein kinases pathways in addition to NLRP3 inflammasome action, inhibiting colon epithelial cell pyroptosis. Surprisingly, ZO-1 and occludin protein levels increased with nigeglanine treatment, suggesting that nigeglanine plays a protective role in barrier integrity, reducing colitis progression. The present study suggests that dietary therapy with nigeglanine may be a useful treatment for prophylaxis and palliative UC.

Application of Optimization Technique to Develop Nano-Based Carrier of Nigella Sativa Essential Oil: Characterization and Assessment

BACKGROUND

Chitosan, a naturally occurring polymer, has interesting applications in the field of drug delivery due to its plentiful advantages as biodegradability, biocompatibility and nontoxic nature. Nigella sativa essential oil is unstable, volatile, and insoluble in water and these problems confine its usage in developing new medicines.

OBJECTIVE

This study focuses on developing a chitosan-based nanocarrier for the encapsulation of Nigella Sativa essential oil. By using Quality by design outline, the quality target product outline, critical quality attributes and critical material attributes were defined by knowledge and risk-based procedures.

METHODS

According to defined critical material attributes, Optimization software (Statgraphics XVII) was used to study the effect of the processing parameters. The processing parameters identified and fixed first with a "One factor at a time" approach. Various physicochemical characterization techniques were performed.

RESULTS

As a result, the ratio of chitosan to benzoic acid (2:1) along with the stirring rate (4000 rpm) produced minimum-sized particles (341 nm) with good stability. The anti-bacterial activity study using Staph. Aureus strain proved that the optimized nanoparticles were more efficacious than the pure oil based on the diameter of inhibition zone obtained (diameter =5.5 cm for optimized formula vs diameter = 3.6 cm for pure oil). Furthermore, MTT (methyl thiazolyl-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide) assay was performed to compare the in vitro cytotoxicity using two different cell lines (i.e. HCT 116 for colorectal carcinoma and PC3 for prostatic cancer). It was found that in both cell lines, the optimized nanoparticles had noteworthy antiproliferative properties illustrated by determining the concentration at which 50% of growth is inhibited (IC50). The optimized nanoparticles showed lower IC50 (17.95 ±0.82 and 4.02 ±0.12μg/ml) than the bare oil IC50 (43.56 ±1.95 and 29.72 ±1.41μg/ml).