Could Nigella sativa Extract be a Promising Anticancer Agent?

Mennatallah Shabana; Ahmed Abd El-Moniem Amer

doi:10.33084/bjop.v8i1.8995

Mini Review

Mennatallah Shabana ⁽¹⁾ , Ahmed Abd El-Moniem Amer ⁽²⁾

(1) Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology , Egypt

(2) El Ezaby Pharmacy , Egypt

https://doi.org/10.33084/bjop.v8i1.8995

Issue
Vol. 8 No. 1 (2025): Borneo Journal of Pharmacy

Submitted
18 December 2024

Published
28 February 2025

Keywords:

PDF

Abstract

Nigella sativa, commonly known as black seed, has a long history of traditional use in folk medicine. Recent scientific investigations have highlighted its significant therapeutic potential, particularly in cancer treatment. Thymoquinone, the primary bioactive compound in N. sativa, has demonstrated promising anticancer properties in numerous preclinical studies. This review comprehensively examines the current understanding of N. sativa's anticancer potential, focusing on the pharmacological actions of thymoquinone. We analyzed high-quality research articles from various databases to assess the efficacy of N. sativa and its constituents in cancer treatment. Furthermore, we explored the potential of N. sativa as an adjunct therapy within existing cancer treatment guidelines. Finally, we discuss the safety profile of N. sativa and propose future research directions to fully realize its therapeutic potential in cancer management.

Full text article

Generated from XML file

References

1. Ahmad MF, Ahmad FA, Ashraf SA, Saad HH, Wahab S, Khan MI, et al. An updated knowledge of Black seed (Nigella sativa Linn.): Review of phytochemical constituents and pharmacological properties. J Herb Med. 2021;25:100404. DOI: 10.1016/j.hermed.2020.100404; PMCID: PMC7501064; PMID: 32983848
2. Wahab S, Alsayari A. Potential Pharmacological Applications of Nigella Seeds with a Focus on Nigella sativa and Its Constituents against Chronic Inflammatory Diseases: Progress and Future Opportunities. Plants. 2023;12(22):3829. DOI: 10.3390/plants12223829; PMCID: PMC10675207; PMID: 38005726
3. Alberts A, Moldoveanu ET, Niculescu AG, Grumezescu AM. Nigella sativa: A Comprehensive Review of Its Therapeutic Potential, Pharmacological Properties, and Clinical Applications. Int J Mol Sci. 2024;25(24):13410. DOI: 10.3390/ijms252413410; PMCID: PMC11677364; PMID: 39769174
4. Hannan MA, Rahman MA, Sohag AAM, Uddin MJ, Dash R, Sikder MH, et al. Black Cumin (Nigella sativa L.): A Comprehensive Review on Phytochemistry, Health Benefits, Molecular Pharmacology, and Safety. Nutrients. 2021;13(6):1784. DOI: 10.3390/nu13061784; PMCID: PMC8225153; PMID: 34073784
5. Goyal SN, Prajapati CP, Gore PR, Patil CR, Mahajan UB, Sharma C, et al. Therapeutic Potential and Pharmaceutical Development of Thymoquinone: A Multitargeted Molecule of Natural Origin. Front Pharmacol. 2017;8:656. DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2017.00656; PMCID: PMC5613109; PMID: 28983249
6. Khader M, Eckl PM. Thymoquinone: an emerging natural drug with a wide range of medical applications. Iran J Basic Med Sci. 2014;17(12):950-7. PMCID: PMC4387230; PMID: 25859298
7. Derosa G, D'Angelo A, Maffioli P, Cucinella L, Nappi RE. The Use of Nigella sativa in Cardiometabolic Diseases. Biomedicines. 2024;12(2):405. DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12020405; PMCID: PMC10886913; PMID: 38398007
8. Ahmad A, Husain A, Mujeeb M, Khan SA, Najmi AK, Siddique NA, et al. A review on therapeutic potential of Nigella sativa: A miracle herb. Asian Pac J Trop Biomed. 2013;3(5):337-52. DOI: 10.1016/s2221-1691(13)60075-1; PMCID: PMC3642442; PMID: 23646296
9. Abbas M, Gururani MA, Ali A, Bajwa S, Hassan R, Batool SW, et al. Antimicrobial Properties and Therapeutic Potential of Bioactive Compounds in Nigella sativa: A Review. Molecules. 2024;29(20):4914. DOI: 10.3390/molecules29204914; PMCID: PMC11510594; PMID: 39459282
10. Salehi B, Quispe C, Imran M, Ul-Haq I, Živković J, Abu-Reidah IM, et al. Nigella Plants - Traditional Uses, Bioactive Phytoconstituents, Preclinical and Clinical Studies. Front Pharmacol. 2021;12:625386. DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.625386; PMCID: PMC8107825; PMID: 33981219
11. Hossain MS, Sharfaraz A, Dutta A, Ahsan A, Masud MA, Ahmed IA, et al. A review of ethnobotany, phytochemistry, antimicrobial pharmacology and toxicology of Nigella sativa L. Biomed Pharmacother. 2021;143:112182. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.112182; PMID: 34649338
12. Gusenbauer M, Haddaway NR. Which academic search systems are suitable for systematic reviews or meta-analyses? Evaluating retrieval qualities of Google Scholar, PubMed, and 26 other resources. Res Synth Methods. 2020;11(2):181-217. DOI: 10.1002/jrsm.1378; PMCID: PMC7079055; PMID: 31614060
13. Fatfat Z, Fatfat M, Gali-Muhtasib H. Therapeutic potential of thymoquinone in combination therapy against cancer and cancer stem cells. World J Clin Oncol. 2021;12(7):522-43. DOI: 10.5306/wjco.v12.i7.522; PMCID: PMC8317652; PMID: 34367926
14. Trivedi S, Hussain U, Agade R, Belgamwar V. A Comprehensive review on exploring Thymoquinone as novel therapeutic molecule for clinical management of Glioblastoma Multiforme. Pharmacol Res Nat Prod. 2024;5:100107. DOI: 10.1016/j.prenap.2024.100107
15. Homayoonfal M, Asemi Z, Yousefi B. Potential anticancer properties and mechanisms of thymoquinone in osteosarcoma and bone metastasis. Cell Mol Biol Lett. 2022;27(1):21. DOI: 10.1186/s11658-022-00320-0; PMCID: PMC8903697; PMID: 35236304
16. Alhmied F, Alammar A, Alsultan B, Alshehri M, Pottoo FH. Molecular Mechanisms of Thymoquinone as Anticancer Agent. Comb Chem High Troughput Screen. 2021;24(10):1644-53. DOI: 10.2174/1386207323999201027225305; PMID: 33115388
17. Adinew GM, Messeha SS, Taka E, Badisa RB, Antonie LM, Soliman KFA. Thymoquinone Alterations of the Apoptotic Gene Expressions and Cell Cycle Arrest in Genetically Distinct Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells. Nutrients. 2022;14(10):2120. DOI: 10.3390/nu14102120; PMCID: PMC9144154; PMID: 35631261
18. Qadi SA, Hassan MA, Sheikh RA, Baothman OA, Zamzami MA, Choudhry H, et al. Thymoquinone-Induced Reactivation of Tumor Suppressor Genes in Cancer Cells Involves Epigenetic Mechanisms. Epigenet Insights. 2019;12:2516865719839011. DOI: 10.1177/2516865719839011; PMCID: PMC6452588; PMID: 31058255
19. Chowdhury FA, Hossain MK, Mostofa AGM, Akbor MM, Sayeed MSB. Therapeutic Potential of Thymoquinone in Glioblastoma Treatment: Targeting Major Gliomagenesis Signaling Pathways. Biomed Res Int. 2018;2018:4010629. DOI: 10.1155/2018/4010629; PMCID: PMC5831880; PMID: 29651429
20. Xu D, Ma Y, Zhao B, Li S, Zhang Y, Pan S, et al. Thymoquinone induces G2/M arrest, inactivates PI3K/Akt and nuclear factor-κB pathways in human cholangiocarcinomas both in vitro and in vivo. Oncol Rep. 2014;31(5):2063-70. DOI: 10.3892/or.2014.3059; PMID: 24603952
21. Wirries A, Breyer S, Quint K, Schobert R, Ocker M. Thymoquinone hydrazone derivatives cause cell cycle arrest in p53-competent colorectal cancer cells. Exp Ther Med. 2010;1(2):369-75. DOI: 10.3892/etm_00000058; PMCID: PMC3445902; PMID: 22993551
22. Rajput S, Kumar BNP, Dey KK, Pal I, Parekh A, Mandal M. Molecular targeting of Akt by thymoquinone promotes G(1) arrest through translation inhibition of cyclin D1 and induces apoptosis in breast cancer cells. Life Sci. 2013;93(21):783-90. DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2013.09.009; PMID: 24044882
23. Edris AE. Anti-cancer properties of Nigella spp. essential oils and their major constituents, thymoquinone and β-elemene. Curr Clin Pharmacol. 2009;4(1):43-6. DOI: 10.2174/157488409787236137; PMID: 19149500
24. Almajali B, Al-Jamal HAN, Taib WRW, Ismail I, Johan MF, Doolaanea AA, et al. Thymoquinone, as a Novel Therapeutic Candidate of Cancers. Pharmaceuticals. 2021;14(4):369. DOI: 10.3390/ph14040369; PMCID: PMC8074212; PMID: 33923474
25. Kurowska N, Madej M, Strzalka-Mrozik B. Thymoquinone: A Promising Therapeutic Agent for the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer. Curr Issues Mol Biol. 2023;46(1):121-39. DOI: 10.3390/cimb46010010; PMCID: PMC10814900; PMID: 38248312
26. Imran M, Rauf A, Khan IA, Shahbaz M, Qaisrani TB, Fatmawati S, et al. Thymoquinone: A novel strategy to combat cancer: A review. Biomed Pharmacother. 2018;106:390-402. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.06.159; PMID: 29966985
27. Kamran S, Sinniah A, Abdulghani MAM, Alshawsh MA. Therapeutic Potential of Certain Terpenoids as Anticancer Agents: A Scoping Review. Cancers. 2022;14(5):1100. DOI: 10.3390/cancers14051100; PMCID: PMC8909202; PMID: 35267408
28. Júnior RGdO, Adrielly AFC, Almeida JRGdS, Grougnet R, Thiéry V, Picot L. Sensitization of tumor cells to chemotherapy by natural products: A systematic review of preclinical data and molecular mechanisms. Fitoterapia. 2018;129:383-400. DOI: 10.1016/j.fitote.2018.02.025; PMID: 29476786
29. Mostofa AGM, Hossain MK, Basak D, Sayeed MSB. Thymoquinone as a Potential Adjuvant Therapy for Cancer Treatment: Evidence from Preclinical Studies. Front Pharmacol. 2017;8:295. DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2017.00295; PMCID: PMC5466966; PMID: 28659794
30. Khan MA, Tania M, Fu S, Fu J. Thymoquinone, as an anticancer molecule: from basic research to clinical investigation. Oncotarget. 2017;8(31):51907-19. DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.17206; PMCID: PMC5584300; PMID: 28881699
31. Woo CC, Kumar AP, Sethi G, Tan KHB. Thymoquinone: potential cure for inflammatory disorders and cancer. Biochem Pharmacol. 2012;83(4):443-51. DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2011.09.029; PMID: 22005518
32. Li F, Rajendran P, Sethi G. Thymoquinone inhibits proliferation, induces apoptosis and chemosensitizes human multiple myeloma cells through suppression of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 activation pathway. Br J Pharmacol. 2010;161(3):541-54. DOI: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2010.00874.x; PMCID: PMC2990154; PMID: 20880395
33. Sheikhnia F, Rashidi V, Maghsoudi H, Majidinia M. Potential anticancer properties and mechanisms of thymoquinone in colorectal cancer. Cancer Cell Int. 2023;23(1):320. DOI: 10.1186/s12935-023-03174-4; PMCID: PMC10717210; PMID: 38087345
34. Gomathinayagam R, Ha JH, Jayaraman M, Song YS, Isidoro C, Dhanasekaran DN. Chemopreventive and Anticancer Effects of Thymoquinone: Cellular and Molecular Targets. J Cancer Prev. 2020;25(3):136-51. DOI: 10.15430/jcp.2020.25.3.136; PMCID: PMC7523033; PMID: 33033708
35. Mahmoud YK, Abdelrazek HMA. Cancer: Thymoquinone antioxidant/pro-oxidant effect as potential anticancer remedy. Biomed Pharmacother. 2019;115:108783. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2019.108783; PMID: 31060003
36. Rahmani AH, Alzohairy MA, Khan MA, Aly SM. Therapeutic Implications of Black Seed and Its Constituent Thymoquinone in the Prevention of Cancer through Inactivation and Activation of Molecular Pathways. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:724658. DOI: 10.1155/2014/724658; PMCID: PMC4052177; PMID: 24959190
37. Sunoqrot S, Alfaraj M, Hammad AM, Kasabri V, Shalabi D, Deeb AA, et al. Development of a Thymoquinone Polymeric Anticancer Nanomedicine through Optimization of Polymer Molecular Weight and Nanoparticle Architecture. Pharmaceutics. 2020;12(9):811. DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics12090811; PMCID: PMC7560238; PMID: 32867015
38. Farooq J, Sultana R, James JP, Fathima ZC, Almutairy AF, Hussain ASM. Efficacy of Thymoquinone and Hesperidin in Attenuating Cardiotoxicity from 5-Fluorouracil: Insights from In Vivo and In Silico Studies. Toxics. 2024;12(9):688. DOI: 10.3390/toxics12090688; PMCID: PMC11435605; PMID: 39330616
39. Cascella M, Palma G, Barbieri A, Bimonte S, Amruthraj NJ, Muzio MR, et al. Role of Nigella sativa and Its Constituent Thymoquinone on Chemotherapy-Induced Nephrotoxicity: Evidences from Experimental Animal Studies. Nutrients. 2017;9(6):625. DOI: 10.3390/nu9060625; PMCID: PMC5490604; PMID: 28629150
40. Nagi MN, Mansour MA. Protective effect of thymoquinone against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in rats: a possible mechanism of protection. Pharmacol Res. 2000;41(3):283-9. DOI: 10.1006/phrs.1999.0585; PMID: 10675279
41. Burdock GA. Assessment of black cumin (Nigella sativa L.) as a food ingredient and putative therapeutic agent. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2022;128. 105088. DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2021.105088; PMID: 34838871
42. Gaudin O, Toukal F, Hua C, Ortonne N, Assier H, Jannic A, et al. Association Between Severe Acute Contact Dermatitis Due to Nigella sativa Oil and Epidermal Apoptosis. JAMA Dermatol. 2018;154(9):1062-5. DOI: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2018.2120; PMCID: PMC6143038; PMID: 30073256

Authors

Mennatallah Shabana

Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology

https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2903-8384

Ahmed Abd El-Moniem Amer

El Ezaby Pharmacy

https://orcid.org/0009-0005-0711-8970

201808455@o6u.edu.eg (Primary Contact)

Author Biographies

Mennatallah Shabana, Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology

Doctoral Program of Pharmacy, Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology, Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt

Ahmed Abd El-Moniem Amer, El Ezaby Pharmacy

Community Pharmacist, El Ezaby Pharmacy, Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt

1.

Shabana M, Amer AAE-M. Could Nigella sativa Extract be a Promising Anticancer Agent?. Borneo J Pharm [Internet]. 2025Feb.28 [cited 2025Aug.8];8(1):73-9. Available from: https://journal.umpr.ac.id/index.php/bjop/article/view/8995

Download Citation

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Authors continue to retain the copyright to the article if the article is published in the Borneo Journal of Pharmacy. They will also retain the publishing rights to the article without any restrictions.

Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms:

Any article on the copyright is retained by the author(s).
The author grants the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share work with an acknowledgment of the work authors and initial publications in this journal.
Authors can enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of published articles (e.g., post-institutional repository) or publish them in a book, with acknowledgment of their initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their websites) prior to and during the submission process. This can lead to productive exchanges and earlier and greater citations of published work.
The article and any associated published material are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.