Revisiting pharmacological potentials of Nigella sativa seed: A promising option for COVID‐19 prevention and cure

Abstract

Nigella sativa seed and its active compounds have been historically recognized as an effective herbal panacea that can establish a balanced inflammatory response by suppressing chronic inflammation and promoting healthy immune response. The essential oil and other preparations of N. sativa seed have substantial therapeutic outcomes against immune disturbance, autophagy dysfunction, oxidative stress, ischemia, inflammation, in several COVID‐19 comorbidities such as diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, Kawasaki‐like diseases, and many bacterial and viral infections. Compelling evidence in the therapeutic efficiency of N. sativa along with the recent computational findings is strongly suggestive of combating emerged COVID‐19 pandemic. Also, being an available candidate in nutraceuticals, N. sativa seed oil could be immensely potential and feasible to prevent and cure COVID‐19. This review was aimed at revisiting the pharmacological benefits of N. sativa seed and its active metabolites that may constitute a potential basis for developing a novel preventive and therapeutic strategy against COVID‐19. Bioactive compounds of N. sativa seed, especially thymiquinone, α‐hederin, and nigellidine, could be alternative and promising herbal drugs to combat COVID‐19. Preclinical and clinical trials are required to delineate detailed mechanism of N. sativa 's active components and to investigate their efficacy and potency under specific pathophysiological conditions of COVID‐19.

Safety Review of Herbs and Supplements in Heart Disease, Diabetes, and COVID-19

“…Preclinical studies have shown that constituents in the methanolic extract of N. sativa seeds are responsible for the bronchodilator effect [93]. Recently, N. sativa has been regarded as a potential therapy for COVID-19 [13,18,94,95]. For example, in a molecular docking-based study N. sativa inhibited SARS-CoV2 [94].…”

Thymoquinone: A Promising Natural Compound with Potential Benefits for COVID-19 Prevention and Cure

“…TQ may thus also be helpful in patients infected with COVID-19 where it can relieve some comorbidity. 13 Serious COVID-19 complications include ARDS, pneumonia and multi-organ failure, and the risk of all of these is increased in patients with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. 141 , 142 N. Sativa has been shown to reduce plasma glucose levels and control haemoglobin-A1c, 143 while intraperitoneal administration of TQ has been demonstrated to substantially decrease hyperglycemia in streptozotocin-induced diabetes in the rats.…”

“… 12 Pharmacological intervention using natural products is considered another example of alternative medicine. 13 …”

“… 25–27 Moreover, Cinatl et al reported that glycyrrhizin elicited a significant antiviral activity against SARS coronavirus, 28 while Nigella sativa (black seed) was reported to have potential for the management of COVID-19 patients’ symptoms. 13 , 29–31 …”

The pharmacological potential of plant compounds and preparations in COVID‐19: A PTR virtual issue

“…One of such review articles analysed the phytochemicals from Indian medicinal plants, such as Withania somnifera and Azadirachta indica , as potential inhibitors of SARS‐CoV‐2 targets (Parida et al, 2020). Remedies reviewed more in depth include Nigella sativa (Islam, Hossain, et al, 2020), a plant mainly used for the control of lipid levels and hyperglycaemia (Hallajzadeh et al, 2020), the flavonoids quercetin (Derosa, Maffioli, D'Angelo, & Di Pierro, 2020) and naringenin (Tutunchi, Naeini, Ostadrahimi, & Hosseinzadeh‐Attar, 2020), bee product compounds (Lima, Brito, & da Cruz Nizer, 2020), glycyrrhizin from Glycyrrhiza glabra (Chrzanowski, Chrzanowska, & Grabon, 2020) and curcumin (Zahedipour et al, 2020), a widely used and clinically evaluated nutraceutical (Pagano, Romano, Izzo, & Borrelli, 2018).…”