Velho-Pereira Reelma, Kumar A, Pandey B N, Mishra K P, Jagtap Aarti G
Department of Pharmacology, Bombay College of Pharmacy, Mumbai University, Mumbai-400 098, India.
Indian J Pharm Sci. 2012 Sep;74(5):403-14. doi: 10.4103/0250-474X.108415.
The current study was undertaken to study the effect of a macerated extract of Nigella sativa seeds in normal as well as in tumour bearing mice against gamma radiation-induced cellular damage to normal tissues. This was done to mimic the clinical setting where in, normal tissues of cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy are exposed to the deleterious effects of radiation. The protection of cellular DNA was analysed in peripheral blood leucocytes of whole body irradiated mice following pretreatment with macerated extract of Nigella sativa seeds (100 mg/kg), using alkaline comet assay, and also estimating biochemical and blood parameters such as levels of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and protein oxidation in organs such as spleen, liver, brain and intestine haemoglobin and total leucocyte count, respectively. The results showed that the macerated extract of Nigella sativa seeds protected the liver, spleen, brain and intestines both in normal as well as tumour bearing mice. This study concludes that macerated extract of Nigella sativa seeds has protective effects against radiation-induced damage and biochemical alterations which could be attributed to the ability to scavenge free radicals and its antioxidant properties. Hence macerated extract of Nigella sativa seeds, could be used in combination with radiation to protect against oxidative stress in normal tissues and improving the quality of life of cancer patients by mitigating unwanted side effects of radiation in normal tissues.
本研究旨在探讨黑种草籽浸膏对正常小鼠和荷瘤小鼠的影响，以对抗γ射线诱导的正常组织细胞损伤。这样做是为了模拟临床情况，即接受放疗的癌症患者的正常组织会受到辐射的有害影响。在用黑种草籽浸膏（100mg/kg）预处理后，使用碱性彗星试验分析全身照射小鼠外周血白细胞中细胞DNA的保护情况，并分别评估生化和血液参数，如抗氧化酶超氧化物歧化酶和过氧化氢酶的水平、丙二醛反应性物质以及脾脏、肝脏、大脑和肠道等器官中的蛋白质氧化、血红蛋白和白细胞总数。结果表明，黑种草籽浸膏对正常小鼠和荷瘤小鼠的肝脏、脾脏、大脑和肠道均有保护作用。本研究得出结论，黑种草籽浸膏对辐射诱导的损伤和生化改变具有保护作用，这可能归因于其清除自由基的能力及其抗氧化特性。因此，黑种草籽浸膏可与放疗联合使用，以保护正常组织免受氧化应激，并通过减轻放疗对正常组织的不良副作用来提高癌症患者的生活质量。
