Antioxidant Effects Of Thymoquinone Research Articles

Effects of thymoquinone on valproic acid-induced oxidative stress in perinatal rat brain

Thymoquinone (TQ), bioactive molecule of black cumin, has antioxidant and neuroprotective effects. TQ’s hypoglecemic effect while applied prenatally is reported. This study is aimed to find the TQ dose with maximum antioxidant and minimum side effects in valproic acid (VPA) induced oxidative stress. Pregnant Wistar rats were injected i.p. with 400 mg/kg/ml of VPA on embryonic day 12.5 (E12.5). Repeated dose groups were injected i.p. from E11.5- E14.5; RC- repeated control: did not receive TQ, R1: 0.5 mg/kg/ml of TQ, R2: 2 mg/kg/ml of TQ, R3: 4 mg/kg/ml of TQ, R4: 8 mg/kg/ml of TQ. Single dose groups were injected i.p. on E12.5; SC- single control: did not receive TQ, S1: 8 mg/kg/ml of TQ, S2: 15 mg/kg/ml of TQ. Pups were sacrificed on postnatal day 7. Glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were measured via ELISA method. Prenatal VPA exposure decreased GSH and SOD levels in RC and SC compared to naïve group. R3 group showed improved GSH and SOD levels compared to RC. No significant difference in MDA levels was found between groups. Antioxidant effects of TQ on VPA induced oxidative stress has been showed in R3 group. This dose can be used to investigate TQ’s effects on other parameters that are affected by prenatal VPA exposure.

Thymoquinone improved redox homeostasis in the heart and aorta of hypothyroid rats

ABSTRACT Objectives Propylthiouracil (PTU) is a common drug that is used in medicine for treating hyperthyroidism. Furthermore, hypothyroidism can also be induced with PTU. Considering the antioxidant effects of thymoquinone (TMQ), this study was designed to find out whether TMQ could counteract the oxidative damage in the heart and aorta tissues induced by hypothyroidism in rats. Methods Animals were arranged into four groups: (1) Control, (2) PTU, (3) PTU-TMQ 5, and (4) PTU-TMQ 10. Hypothyroidism was induced in rats by giving 0.05% PTU in drinking water. PTU and TMQ (5 and 10 mg/kg, ip) treatments were done for 42 days. Finally, the animals were sacrificed and the serum of the rats was collected for thyroxine level assessment. The heart and aorta tissues were also removed for biochemical oxidative stress markers measurement. Results A lower serum thyroxine level was observed after PTU treatment compared to the control group. Hypothyroidism also was accompanied by a decrease of thiol content, and superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) activities in the heart and aorta tissues while increased malondialdehyde (MDA). Furthermore, a significant reduction in oxidative damage was noted in the heart and aorta following the administration of TMQ (5 and 10 mg/kg) which was indicated by the reduction in MDA and improved activities of SOD, CAT, and thiol. Conclusion In this study, TMQ was found to improve oxidative damages in the heart and aorta tissues of hypothyroid rats.

Protective Effect of Thymoquinone on D-Galactose-Induced Aging in Mice

Background: Aging is considered as a gradual biological process, which induces alteration in biochemistry and morphology of a biological system. Thymoquinone (TQ), is the major ingredient of volatile oil from Nigella sativa L. seeds. Because of the various pharmacological effects of TQ, this constituent was used for the current study. Objectives: Anti-aging property of TQ in D-galactose-induced model of aging was investigated in mice. Methods: Aging was induced in Razi mice with D-galactose injection (500 mg/kg, SC, daily) for 42 consecutive days. Animal treatment conducted with D-galactose alone or with different doses of TQ (2.5, 5 and 10 mg/kg). Malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) concentrations were determined in liver and brain tissues at the end of treatment. Serum concentration of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-? (TNF-?), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) as well as dehydroepiandrosterone- sulfate (DHEA-S) and testosterone were determined. Results: Administration of D-galactose (500 mg/kg, SC, daily) for 42 consecutive days increased the level of MDA in brain and liver tissues while diminished the GSH content. Additionally, the serum levels of TNF-?, IL-6, ALT and AST were significantly elevated following induction of aging phenomena while the level of male sex hormones were markedly reduced. Treatment with TQ (5 and 10 mg/kg) elevated level of GSH while decreased MDA production. In addition, the serum level of TNF-?, IL-6, ALT and AST decreased while the level of male sex hormones improved following treatment with TQ. Conclusions: TQ showed anti-aging effect in this model. These effects in part can be mediated through antioxidant effects of TQ. © 2019, Jundishapur Journal of Natural Pharmaceutical Products.

Assessment of thymoquinone effects on apoptotic and oxidative damage induced by morphine in mice heart

Opioids bind to specific receptors that are located in the central nervous system (CNS) and many other organs such as cardiovascular tissue. Morphine binds to opioid receptors and can induce oxidative stress under some certain conditions. Thymoquinone (TQ) has shown many therapeutic effects such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immunomodulatory ones. Considering the oxidative effects of morphine, antioxidant effects of TQ and effects of oxidative damage in various types of biomolecules, the present study was conducted to determine the effect of morphine plus TQ on the expression of apoptotic genes in the heart of male mice. Hence we used real-time PCR to identify alterations in mRNA expression of genes involved in apoptotic pathway, including p53, Bax and Bcl-2 between the morphine-treated and TQ plus morphine-treated mice. Serum nitric oxide (NO) (Griess assay) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were analyzed and compared. In the morphine group, compared to control group, a significant increase in P53 and Bax mRNA expression and a significant decrease in Bcl-2 mRNA expression were observed (p < 0.01). In TQ plus morphine groups, NO was decreased (P <0 .001) and TAC levels were increased significantly (P < .001). Interestingly, TQ (9 and 18 mg/kg) plus morphine caused a significant decrease in p53 and Bax and a significant increase in Bcl2 mRNA expression, compared to morphine-treated group (p < 0.01). Collectively, the results of this study indicated that TQ, as an antioxidant, can improve the apoptotic effects induced by morphine in the heart tissue of mice.

The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of thymoquinone on ceruleine induced acute pancreatitis in rats.

The aim of this study is to investigate the potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of thymoquinone (TQ) on ceruleine induced acute pancreatitis. A total of 14 male Wistar albino rats were divided into 2 groups as follows: (1) normal saline-treated group and (2) thymoquinone- treated groups. For achieving acute pancreatitis, intraperitoneal (IP) cerulein, a stable cholecystokinin (CCK) analogue, was applied in a 50 mcg/kg dose 2 times in one-hour interval in total. One hour after last ceruleine injection, IP 2 ml/kg isotonic saline solution was applied to the saline group and IP 5 mg/kg TQ was applied. The rats were sacrificed by decapitation 12 h after the last injection of last medication. Blood samples were taken, and serum interleukin-1β (IL-1β), amylase, lipase pancreatic, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total oxidant status (TOS), and pancreatic Schoenberg scores were determined. Oxidative stress index (OSI) was calculated for each group. Results are given as mean ± SD. A value of p < 0.05 was accepted as statistically significant. SPSS for Windows v15.0 was used for statistical analyses. The increased serum amylase, lipase levels and histopathological scoring of pancreatic tissue showed that acute pancreatitis was present in both groups. Furthermore, serum IL-1β level was significantly reduced in TQ administered group (p < 0.05). Although serum TAC level was high and TOS level was low, those changes were not statistically significant. Nevertheless, OSI index, which was driven from TOS/TAC, was significantly low in TQ groups (p < 0.05). Although TQ partially ameliorated the acute pancreatitis in terms of histopathological evaluations, the main effect of it was brought about by reducing the hemorrhage in acute pancreatitis (p < 0.05). In this study, it was shown that TQ can reduce the inflammation and has a positive effect on the oxidative status of organism in inflammatory cases such as acute pancreatitis. This is consistent with partial amelioration of acute pancreatitis in rats given TQ (Tab. 2, Fig. 4, Ref. 31).

The antioxidant effects of thymoquinone in lipopolysaccharide‐activated BV2 murine microglia cells (89.5)

Activation of microglia, resident immune cells in the central nervous system (CNS), is implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. They may cause a vicious self‐perpetuating neuronal degeneration cycle via excessive release of superoxide radicals in the system. We explored the effects of thymoquinone (TQ), the main active constituent of Nigella sativa seed oil, as an antioxidant agent in microglial activation. We hypothesized that the antioxidant properties of TQ are mediated in part by reducing proteins involved in oxidative stress induced by microglia activation. In this study, BV2 cells were stimulated with LPS in the presence or absence of TQ. To profile the effect of TQ on global protein expression of BV2 microglial cells, two‐dimensional (2D)‐gel electrophoresis with MALDI‐TOF/TOF (matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization ‐ time of flight) analysis was employed. Additionally, the effect of TQ on microglia activation was evaluated using immunocytochemistry‐ immunofluorescence (ICC‐IF). The results obtained indicate that TQ decreased the expression of 60 kDa heat shock, fatty acid binding, and CD68 [ED1] proteins in LPS stimulated BV2 cells. These findings suggest that the intervention of microglial activation process could be a promising therapeutic target in the treatment of a number of neurodegenerative conditions.Grant Funding Source: Supported by NIH grants: NIMHD G12 MD007582 and P20 MD006738

The protective effect of thymoquinone on ethanol-induced acute gastric damage in the rat

Previous studies have indicated a pivotal role of reactive oxygen species in the pathomechanism of gastric ulcer. Recent studies demonstrated that thymoquinone (TQ) had an antioxidant effect on injuries caused by various toxic agents in different experimental models. The present study was planned to test whether TQ, the main constituent of the volatile oil of Nigella sativa seeds, was capable to exert beneficial effects on acute gastric ulcer model in rats. We examined antiulcerative and antioxidant effects of TQ on ethanol (EtOH)-induced gastric lesions in rats. The data we collected showed that gastric ulcer caused by absolute EtOH induction resulted in an increase in lipid peroxidation, represented by malondialdehyde level as well as by superoxide dismutase level, an antioxidant enzyme, whereas it resulted in a decrease in glutathione content in rat stomach tissue. Thymoquinone (20 mg/kg) administration reduced the ulcer index and the malondialdehyde level, and reversed the glutathione depletion. However, it did not statistically change the high superoxide dismutase activity induced by EtOH. These results suggest that TQ could inhibit the development of EtOH-induced gastric ulcer, and gastroprotective action of TQ might be in part dependent on its antioxidant property.