Nigella sativa oil alleviates doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy and neurobehavioral changes in mice:In vivo and in-silico study

Objective:To investigate the effect of Nigella sativa oil on cardiomyopathy and neurobehavioral changes induced by doxorubicin in mice.Methods:Swiss strain of albino female mice were divided into 6 groups of 5 animals in each:GroupⅠ(control group),groupⅡ(doxorubicin,10 mg/kg,i.v.),groupⅢ,Ⅳ,andⅤ(Nigella sativa oil;1.5,3,and 6 mL/kg,respectively),groupⅥ(Nigella sativa oil per se;6 mL/kg,p.o.).The duration of treatment was 15 d(10 days’pre-treatment and 5 days’post-treatment)and doxorubicin was administered on day 11th of the treatment schedule.Following Nigella sativa oil treatment,neurobehavioral tests,cardiac hypertrophy tests,and biochemical tests in serum and tissues were performed.Neurological tests included assessment of anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze,spontaneous alternation behavior in the cross maze,and depression-like behavior in modified forced swim tests.Biochemical tests included serum lactate dehydrogenase and creatinine kinase-MB,malondialdehyde and reduced glutathione in tissues.Lastly,molecular docking was used to estimate the affinity of the phytoconstituents of Nigella sativa oil with histone deacetylases.Results:Nigella sativa oil treatment significantly(P<0.001)restored doxorubicin-induced neurobehavioral changes,decreased lactate dehydrogenase and creatinine kinase-MB in the plasma,malondialdehyde contents in tissues,and increased reduced glutathione level.Besides,no significant alteration was observed in Nigella sativa oil per se group as compared to the control.Molecular docking showed that Nigella sativa oil components had appreciable binding affinitiy with the protein cavities of HDAC1 and HDAC6.Conclusions:The result shows that Nigella sativa oil exerts anxiolytic,antidepressant,and memory-enhancing effects in addition to cardioprotective effect against doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy in mice.The modulatory effect of Nigella sativa oil on oxidative stress could contribute to the cardioprotective effect and associated neurobehavioral changes in mice.

Protective efficacy of Nigella sativa oil against the harmful effects of formaldehyde on rat testicular tissue

Objective: To explore the effects of Nigella sativa oil(NSO) on the histopathological and biochemical changes that inhaled formaldehyde(FA) induces on the testicular tissue of rats. Methods: Thirty three adult male rats were separated into five groups as follows: C, the control group; 4 FA group which received FA for 4 weeks; 13 FA group which was given FA for 13 weeks; 4 FA+NSO group which was administered FA plus NSO for 4 weeks; 13 FA+NSO group which was treated with FA plus NSO for 13 weeks. FA was administered through inhalation for 8 h 5 days a week at a dose of 5 ppm in a special glass cage, and NSO was administered orally 1 mL/kg once daily. Rats were decapitated at the end of the experiment and testicular tissue specimens were harvested for histopathologic and biochemical assessment. Results: Compared to the C group, reduction was observed in the number of intact tubules and in the mean germinative epithelium thickness of the FA groups. Significant increase was observed in the number of intact tubules with the long-term(13 weeks) administration of NSO together with FA. Reduced glutathione peroxidase activity was found and oxidative stress index values were measured higher in the 4 FA and 13 FA groups versus the C group(P<0.05). Moreover, total antioxidant status levels decreased only in the 4 FA group(P<0.05) while only the 13 FA group significantly increased malondialdehyde levels and reduced catalase activities in comparison with the C group. In the 13 FA+NSO group, malondialdehyde levels decreased however glutathione peroxidase and catalase activities increased compared to the 13 FA group. Differences measured in total antioxidant status levels were found to be statistically significant only between the 4 FA and the 4 FA+NSO groups. Conclusions: NSO as an antioxidant should be used for a longer term to achieve protective efficacy both histopathologically and biochemically in the testicular tissue.

黑种草籽挥发油化学成分的 GC-MS分析

采用毛细管气质联用法对黑种草籽挥发油化学成分进行了研究 ,共确认了其中 2 0种成分 ,占精油总含量的 94.2 % .其主要化学成分为异长叶烯 (Isolongifolene) ,桧萜 (Sabinene) ,百里醌 (Thymoquinone) ,4-甲基 -1 -(1 -异丙基 ) -3 -环已烯 -1 -醇 (3 -cyclohexen-1 -ol,4-methly-1 -(1 -methylethyl) -)等。

Weed Competition Periods Affect Grain Yield and Nutrient Uptake of Black Seed(Nigella Sativa L.)

The combination of the relatively open plant canopy and slow growth,especially at early growth stages,results in lower competitiveness of black seed(Nigella sativa L.) than weeds.Thus,weed interference is known as an important factor affecting black seed yield.Therefore,to determine the critical period of weed control and its effects on nutrients uptake of black seed field experiments were conducted in 2011 and 2012.Two quantitative series of weed removal treatments including weed-infested and weed-free treatments were implemented from black seed emergence to maturity harvest.To determine critical period of weed control,plots were weed-infested or weed-free for 0,14,28,42,56,70 days after emergence,in weed-infested and weed-free treatments,respectively.The results revealed that N,P and K contents in weed tissues significantly increased with increasing weed-infested periods during both years of the experiment.The reduction in grain and oil yield due to longer periods of weed-infested conditions or shorter periods of weed-free conditions were accompanied by simultaneous reduction of N,P and K uptake in black seed grains and tissues.Overall,N,P and K contents in weed tissue were found to be 1.8 to 2 times higher than that of black seed.It was concluded that 58 or 49 days weed-free periods are required to avoid yield loss(above 5% or 10%) in black seed.