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Umer M, Naveed A, Maryam Q, Cheema HA, Shahid A, Hermis AH, Chinnam S, Swed S, Sahra S. Nigella sativa for the treatment of COVID-19 patients: A rapid systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Food Sci Nutr 2024; 12:2061-2067. [PMID: 38455176 PMCID: PMC10916652 DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.3906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Nigella sativa is an herbal therapy for various afflictions. It has some potential to be a promising option as an efficacious treatment for COVID-19 patients that can contribute to global healthcare as a relatively cheap therapy but evidence of its use from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is limited. Therefore, to explore the effect of N. sativa in combating COVID-19, we undertook this meta-analysis. We searched several databases to retrieve all RCTs investigating N. sativa for the treatment of COVID-19 as compared to placebo or standard care. We used RevMan 5.4 for all analyses with risk ratio (RR) or odds ratio (OR) as the effect measures. We included a total of seven RCTs in this review. N. sativa significantly reduced the risk of all-cause mortality in patients with COVID-19 compared to the control group (RR 0.27, 95% CI: 0.10 to 0.72; I 2 = 0%). N. sativa significantly reduced the rate of viral PCR positivity (RR 0.62, 95% CI: 0.39 to 0.97; I 2 = 0%). We did not find any significant difference in the risk of hospitalization (RR 0.26, 95% CI: 0.04 to 1.54; I 2 = 0%) and the rate of no recovery (OR 0.48, 95% CI: 0.20 to 1.15; I 2 = 84%) between the two groups. N. sativa is an easily available herbal medicine that may decrease the risk of mortality and improve virological clearance in COVID-19 patients. However, our results are limited by the small number of RCTs available. Further large-scale RCTs are needed to better understand the anti-inflammatory and antiviral effects of N. sativa in COVID-19 patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Umer
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of MedicineKing Edward Medical UniversityLahorePakistan
| | - Aiman Naveed
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of MedicineKing Edward Medical UniversityLahorePakistan
| | | | - Huzaifa Ahmad Cheema
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of MedicineKing Edward Medical UniversityLahorePakistan
| | - Abia Shahid
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of MedicineKing Edward Medical UniversityLahorePakistan
| | | | - Sampath Chinnam
- Department of ChemistryM. S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology (Affiliated with Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belgaum)BengaluruKarnatakaIndia
| | - Sarya Swed
- Faculty of MedicineAleppo UniversityAleppoSyria
| | - Syeda Sahra
- Department of Infectious DiseasesUniversity of Oklahoma Health Sciences CenterOklahoma CityOklahomaUSA
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Maen A, Gok Yavuz B, Mohamed YI, Esmail A, Lu J, Mohamed A, Azmi AS, Kaseb M, Kasseb O, Li D, Gocio M, Kocak M, Selim A, Ma Q, Kaseb AO. Individual ingredients of NP-101 (Thymoquinone formula) inhibit SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus infection. Front Pharmacol 2024; 15:1291212. [PMID: 38379905 PMCID: PMC10876831 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1291212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Thymoquinone TQ, an active ingredient of Nigella Sativa, has been shown to inhibit COVID-19 symptoms in clinical trials. Thymoquinone Formulation (TQF or NP-101) is developed as a novel enteric-coated medication derivative from Nigella Sativa. TQF consists of TQ with a favorable concentration and fatty acids, including palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids. In this study, we aimed to investigate the roles of individual ingredients of TQF on infection of SARS-CoV-2 variants in-vitro, by utilizing Murine Leukemia Virus (MLV) based pseudovirus particles. We demonstrated that NP-101, TQ, and other individual ingredients, including oleic, linoleic, and palmitic acids inhibited SARS-CoV-2 infection in the MLV-based pseudovirus model. A large, randomized phase 2 study of NP-101 is planned in outpatient COVID-19 patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdelrahim Maen
- Section of GI Oncology, Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
- Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
- Cockrell Center for Advanced Therapeutic Phase I Program, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Betul Gok Yavuz
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Yehia I. Mohamed
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Abdullah Esmail
- Section of GI Oncology, Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Jianming Lu
- Codex BioSolutions Inc., Rockville, MD, United States
| | - Amr Mohamed
- Seidman Cancer Center, Case Western University, Multidisciplinary NET Treatment, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Asfar S. Azmi
- School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, United States
| | - Mohamed Kaseb
- Novatek Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Houston, TX, United States
| | - Osama Kasseb
- Novatek Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Houston, TX, United States
| | - Dan Li
- Department of Hematopoietic Biology and Malignancy, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Michelle Gocio
- Novatek Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Houston, TX, United States
| | - Mehmet Kocak
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, International School of Medicine, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Türkiye
| | - Abdelhafez Selim
- Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Qing Ma
- Department of Hematopoietic Biology and Malignancy, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Ahmed O. Kaseb
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
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Roy U. Computational Investigation of Selected Spike Protein Mutations in SARS-CoV-2: Delta, Omicron, and Some Circulating Subvariants. Pathogens 2023; 13:10. [PMID: 38276156 PMCID: PMC10820870 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13010010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Among the multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants recently reported, the Delta variant has generated the most perilous and widespread effects. Another variant, Omicron, has been identified specifically for its high transmissibility. Omicron contains numerous spike (S) protein mutations and numbers much larger than those of its predecessor variants. In this report, the author has discussed some essential structural aspects and time-based structure changes of a selected set of spike protein mutations within the Delta and Omicron variants. The expected impact of multiple point mutations within the spike protein's receptor-binding domain (RBD) and S1 of these variants are examined. Additionally, the RBDs of the more recently emerged subvariants BA.4, BA.5, and BA.2.12.1 are discussed. Within the latter group, BA.5 represents the most prevalent form of SARS-CoV-2 globally until recently. This computational work also briefly explores the temporal mutation profile for the currently circulating variants of interest (VOIs), variants under monitoring (VUMs), and variants being monitored (VBMs) including XBB.1.5, BQ.1, BA.2.75, CH.1.1, XBB, XBF, EG.5 (or Eris), and BA.2.86 (or Pirola). It is expected that these structural data can facilitate the tasks of identifying drug targets and neutralizing antibodies for the evolving variants/subvariants of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Urmi Roy
- Department of Chemistry & Biomolecular Science, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY 13699, USA
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Mohamed A, Azmi AS, Asa SL, Tirumani SH, Mahipal A, Cjakrabarti S, Bajor D, Selfridge JE, Kaseb AO. Thymoquinone Plus Immunotherapy in Extra-Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Carcinoma: Case Series for a Novel Combination. Curr Oncol 2022; 29:9018-9030. [PMID: 36421360 PMCID: PMC9689659 DOI: 10.3390/curroncol29110707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are a heterogeneous group of cancers that had a significant increase in annual incidence in the last decade. They can be divided into well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs). Poorly differentiated NECs are aggressive forms of cancers with limited therapeutic options. The first line treatment of metastatic poorly differentiated NECs is similar to small cell lung cancer, with cytotoxic chemotherapy (etoposide plus platinum). Patients who progress have limited therapeutic options and poor overall survival, calling for other novel agents to combat this deadly disease. Therefore, in this article, we summarized the effects of a novel component, Thymoquinone (TQ, C10H12O2), which is the main bioactive component of the black seed (Nigella sativa, Ranunculaceae family), plus immunotherapy in case series of patients with refractory metastatic extra-pulmonary NEC (EP-NEC) and one case of mixed neuroendocrine-non-neuroendocrine neoplasm (MiNEN). METHODS We report the effect of TQ plus dual immune checkpoint inhibitors (nivolumab plus ipilimumab) in four patients with poorly differentiated gastrointestinal Ep-NEC and MiNEN who progressed on cytotoxic chemotherapy. RESULTS This is the first case series to report the clinical activity of TQ plus dual immune checkpoint inhibitors (nivolumab plus ipilimumab) in patients with refractory metastatic EP-NEC. The four patients showed benefits with the combined regimen TQ plus dual ICPIs with durable response and exceeded the two years of progression-free survival. None of the four patients experienced significant toxicity, and all of them showed improvement in quality of life. CONCLUSION The reported clinical courses suggest that combined TQ plus ICPIs is a potential promising regimen for refractory EP-NEC and MiNEN that deserves further prospective investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amr Mohamed
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University Hospitals, Seidman Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-216-844-1257; Fax: +1-508-844-5234
| | - Asfar S. Azmi
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
| | - Sylvia L. Asa
- Seidman Cancer Center, Department of Pathology, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Sree Harsha Tirumani
- Seidman Cancer Center, Department of Radiology, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Amit Mahipal
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University Hospitals, Seidman Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Sakti Cjakrabarti
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University Hospitals, Seidman Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - David Bajor
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University Hospitals, Seidman Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - J. Eva Selfridge
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University Hospitals, Seidman Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Ahmed O. Kaseb
- Division of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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