Department of Biology and Chemistry, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2010 Sep 15;131(2):268-75. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2010.06.030. Epub 2010 Jun 30.
Nigella sativa, also known as blackseed, has long been used in traditional medicine for treating various conditions related to the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems as well as different types of cancers. In this study, the potential immunomodulatory effects of Nigella sativa are investigated in light of splenocyte proliferation, macrophage function, and NK anti-tumor activity using BLAB/c and C57/BL6 primary cells.
Splenocyte proliferation was assessed by [(3)H]-thymidine incorporation. Griess assay was performed to evaluate NO production by macrophages. ELISA was performed to measure the level of cytokines secreted by splenocytes and macrophages. NK cytotoxic activity against YAC-1 tumor cells was examined by JAM assay.
We demonstrate that the aqueous extract of Nigella sativa significantly enhances splenocyte proliferation in a dose-responsive manner. In addition, the aqueous extract of Nigella sativa favors the secretion of Th2, versus Th1, cytokines by splenocytes. The secretion of IL-6, TNFalpha, and NO; key pro-inflammatory mediators, by primary macrophages is significantly suppressed by the aqueous extract of Nigella sativa, indicating that Nigella sativa exerts anti-inflammatory effects in vitro. Finally, experimental evidence indicates that the aqueous extract of Nigella sativa significantly enhances NK cytotoxic activity against YAC-1 tumor cells, suggesting that the documented anti-tumor effects of Nigella sativa may be, at least in part, attributed to its ability to serve as a stimulant of NK anti-tumor activity.
Our data present Nigella sativa as a traditionally used herb with potent immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor effects. We anticipate that Nigella sativa ingredients may be employed as effective therapeutic agents in the regulation of diverse immune reactions implicated in various conditions and diseases such as cancer.
黑种草，也被称为黑种草，长期以来一直被用于传统医学中，用于治疗与呼吸系统和胃肠道系统以及各种类型的癌症相关的各种病症。在这项研究中，根据 BLAB/c 和 C57/BL6 原代细胞的脾细胞增殖、巨噬细胞功能和 NK 抗肿瘤活性，研究了黑种草的潜在免疫调节作用。
通过 [(3)H]-胸苷掺入评估脾细胞增殖。通过格里斯测定法评估巨噬细胞产生的 NO。通过 ELISA 测定脾细胞和巨噬细胞分泌的细胞因子水平。通过 JAM 测定法检查 NK 对 YAC-1 肿瘤细胞的细胞毒性活性。
我们证明黑种草的水提取物以剂量反应的方式显著增强脾细胞增殖。此外，黑种草的水提取物有利于脾细胞分泌 Th2 细胞因子，而不是 Th1 细胞因子。原代巨噬细胞分泌的 IL-6、TNFalpha 和 NO；关键的促炎介质，被黑种草的水提取物显著抑制，表明黑种草在体外具有抗炎作用。最后，实验证据表明，黑种草的水提取物显著增强了 NK 对 YAC-1 肿瘤细胞的细胞毒性活性，表明黑种草的已记录的抗肿瘤作用可能至少部分归因于其作为 NK 抗肿瘤活性刺激物的能力。
我们的数据将黑种草呈现为一种具有强大免疫调节、抗炎和抗肿瘤作用的传统草药。我们预计，黑种草的成分可能被用作调节各种免疫反应的有效治疗剂，这些免疫反应与癌症等各种病症和疾病有关。
