Maize is one the most important staple foods in the world. However, numerous pests, such as fungal pathogens, e.g., Fusarium verticillioides, and insects, such as Sitophlilus zeamais, attack maize grains during storage. Many F. verticillioides strains produce fumonisins, one of the most important mycotoxin that causes toxic effects on human and animal health. This situation is aggravated by the...

Nigella sativa Linn. (N. sativa) and its bioactive constituent Thymoquinone (TQ) have demonstrated numerous pharmacological attributes. In the present study, the neuroprotective properties of Thymoquinone-rich fraction (TQRF) and TQ against hydrogen peroxide- (H2O2-) induced neurotoxicity in differentiated human SH-SY5Y cells were investigated. TQRF was extracted using supercritical fluid extra...

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the possible protective effect of thymoquinone on chlorpromazine induced catalepsy, locomotor activity and cerebral oxidative stress in rats. The rats were divided into four groups, each group containing eight animals. The animals were evaluated after repeated administration of chlorpromazine (CPZ) 30 min before the administration of thymoquinone (TQ...

Nigella sativa (Family Ranunculaceae) is a widely used medicinal plant throughout the world. N. sativa is referred in the Middle East as a part of an overall holistic approach to health. Pharmacological properties of N. sativa including immune stimulant, hypotensive, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, spasmolytic and bronchodilator have been shown. Reactive oxygen specie...

Abstract: Radiation and chemicals were the major clinical toxicants known to cause cellular damage during prognostic interventions in vivo. Cellular molecular damages liver causes for hepatocellular injury due various toxicities. Though many antioxidants alleviate types of hepatotoxicities, protection exerted by combination N-acetyl cysteine (NA) Thymoquinone (TQ) combined toxicities radiation ...

Objective: Several phytochemical agents have been known to exhibit a neuroprotective effect. Among them, curcumin, linalool, rutin, safranal, and thymoquinonewere widely investigated and neuroprotective activity of each of them was shown by several studies. This work was planned to investigate whether different combinations of them could induce better neuroprotective effect against glucose/seru...

Medicinal plants gained momentous support in the recent era for their therapeutic potential. The core objective of the research study was to characterize the indigenous variety of black cumin (Nigella sativa L.), locally known as “Kalonji” and its fixed and essential oils. Compositional analysis revealed that it contains appreciable quantities of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Moreover, pota...

Black cumin (Nigella sativa L., Ranunculaceae) is an annual herb commonly used in the Middle East, India and nowadays gaining worldwide acceptance. Historical and traditional uses are extensively documented in ancient texts and historical documents. Black cumin seeds and oil are commonly used as a traditional tonic and remedy for many ailments as well as in confectionery and bakery. Little is k...

Various beneficial properties has been attributed to Nigella sativa, including its antioxidant potential. Previously, it was reported that supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) could be used to obtain N. sativa extract rich in antioxidants. In the present study, N. sativa extracts prepared using the previously optimized SFE as well as the traditional Soxhlet extraction approaches were analyzed f...

Dear Editor, Acute toxicity of a drug can be determined by the calculation of LD50, i.e., the dose that will kill 50% of animals of a particular species. Recently, we reported the LD50 of thymoquinone, an active principle of Nigella sativa, in mice and rats by the method described by Miller and Tainter, 1944. Since then some post-graduate students and investigators have asked us to explain the ...