Black cumin or Nigella sativa is a common spice that grows in areas of the Mediterranean, Asia and India. According to the review article in the November 2008 issue of "Cancer Therapy," black cumin is mentioned in several historical religious and medicinal documents. In the late 1930's, thymoquinone, the active ingredient of black cumin oil was discovered. Experimentally, thymoquinone has exhibited anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Against colon cancer, thymoquinone has also exhibited some success.
Antioxidation
Reactive oxygen species or ROS are small highly reactive oxygen molecules that are byproducts of normal metabolism which can cause cellular damage or cellular mutations, eventually leading to cancer development. According to the animal study mentioned in the July 2002 issue of the "Journal of Ethnopharmacology," Dr. M. El-Dakhakhny found that thymoquinone can successfully inhibit 5-lipoxygenase, an important enzyme for colon cancer survival, which is a key regulator of lipid metabolism and ROS formation.
Proliferation and Apoptosis
According to the October 2004 issue of "International Journal of Oncology", Dr. Gali-Muhtasib showed that thymoquinone can significantly inhibit proliferation, or cellular growth, in cultured human colon cancer cells. Thymoquinone can also induce apoptosis, or programmed cell death, in these cells as well. These findings are supported by the study mentioned in the 2003 issue of "Nutrition and Cancer," in which Dr. El Salim showed that black cumin oil extract successfully inhibited colon tumor development.
Invasion
In the January-February 2008 issue of the "Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine," Dr. Hala Gali-Muhtasib examined the effects of thymoquinone on colon cancer cell invasion. Invasion is the process in which tumor cells separate from the primary tumor, enter and deleteriously effect adjacent tissue. Invasion is often one of the developmental signs of a more aggressive cancer. Invasion of colon cancer cells was successfully inhibited by thymoquinone. These findings were also supported by animal studies.
Insufficient Human Data
Although black cumin or thymoquinone have shown great promise as an anti colon cancer agent in preclinical experiments; few clinical trials have focused on either the effectiveness or safety of these compounds in humans. Black cumin has been used for centuries; however, without complete historical documentation of every possible side effect, it is difficult to truly understand the safety of this compound, especially in higher quantities, without undergoing further experimentation. Consult your doctor and use with caution.
References
- PubMed: From Here to Eternity - the Secret of Pharaohs: Therapeutic Potential of Black Cumin Seeds and Beyond; Subhash Padhye, Sanjeev Banerjee, Aamir Ahmad, Ramzi Mohammad, and Fazlul H Sarkar; November 2008
- Science Direct: ; Nigella Sativa Oil, Nigellone and Derived Thymoquinone Inhibit Synthesis of 5-lipoxygenase Products in Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes from Rats; M. El-Dakhakhny, N. J. Madi, N. Lembert, and H. P. T. Ammon; July 2002
- PubMed: Thymoquinone Extracted from Black Seed Triggers Apoptotic Cell Death in Human Colorectal Cancer Cells Via a p53-dependent Mechanism; Gali-Muhtasib H, Diab-Assaf M, Boltze C, Al-Hmaira J, Hartig R, etal; October 2004
- PubMed: Chemopreventive Potential of Volatile Oil from Black Cumin (Nigella Sativa L.) Seeds Against Rat Colon Carcinogenesis; Salim EI and Fukushima S; 2003
- PubMed: Thymoquinone Reduces Mouse Colon Tumor Cell Invasion and Inhibits Tumor Growth in Murine Colon Cancer Models; JOURNAL TOOLS * Get New Content Alerts * Get RSS feed * Save to My Profile * Get Sample Copy JOURNAL MENU * Journal Home FIND ISSUES * Current Issue * All Issues * Virtual Issues FIND ARTICLES * Accepted Articles * Most Cited GET ACCESS * Subscribe / Renew FOR CONTRIBUTORS * Author Guidelines * Submit an Article * OnlineOpen ABOUT THIS JOURNAL * Overview * News * Editorial Board * Contact * Advertise * Permissions SPECIAL FEATURES * Asian Office of JCMM Click here to find out more! Thymoquinone reduces mouse colon tumor cell invasion and inhibits tumor growth in murine colon cancer models; Hala Gali-Muhtasib, Matthias Ocker, Doerthe Kuester, Sabine Krueger, Zeina El-Hajj, etal. January-February 2008
