Thymoquinone: A Tie-Breaker in SARS-CoV2-Infected Cancer Patients?

Abstract

Since the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2(severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2) pandemic, arace to develop a vaccine has been initiated, considering the massive and rather significant economic and healthcare hits that this virus has caused. The pathophysiology occurring following COVID-19(coronavirus disease-2019) infection has givenhints regarding the supportive and symptomatic treatments to establish for patients, as no specific anti-SARS-CoV-2 is available yet. Patient symptoms vary greatly and range from mild symptoms to severe fatal complications. Supportive treatments include antipyretics, antiviral therapies, different combinations of broad-spectrum antibiotics, hydroxychloroquine and plasma transfusion. Unfortunately, cancer patients are at higher risk of viral infection and more likely to develop serious complications due to their immunocompromised state, the fact that they are already administering multiple medications, as well as combined comorbidity compared to the general population. It may seem impossible to find a drug that possesses both potent antiviral and anticancer effects specifically against COVID-19 infection and its complications and the existing malignancy, respectively. Thymoquinone (TQ) is the most pharmacologically active ingredient in Nigella sativa seeds (black seeds); it is reported to have anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in various settings. In this review, we will discuss the multiple effects of TQ specifically against COVID-19, its beneficial effects against COVID-19 pathophysiology and multiple-organ complications, its use as an adjuvant for supportive COVID-19 therapy and cancer therapy, and finally, its anticancer effects.

RNA-Sequencing Reveals Heat Shock 70-kDa Protein 6 (HSPA6) as a Novel Thymoquinone-Upregulated Gene That Inhibits Growth, Migration, and Invasion of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells

“…Genes demonstrating in pathways of cancer and in viral life cycle indicate that TQ has roles for both anti-cancers and anti-viruses. Interestingly, recent studies found that TQ might have inhibitory potential against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) protease ( 29 ), particularly for cancer patients ( 30 ). As we know, novel virus SARS-CoV-2 causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic as earlier of March 11, 2020 ( 31 – 33 ).…”

Role of Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2 (Nrf2) in the Recovery of Long COVID-19 Using Natural Antioxidants: A Systematic Review

“…Thymoquinone also decreases the expression of GRP78 and the ACE2 receptor, thereby reducing viral entry. This shows that thymoquinone has the potential to reduce SARS-CoV-2 infection [ 169 ].…”

Preparation, characterization, and biological activity study of thymoquinone-cucurbit[7]uril inclusion complex

“…6 IC 50 AE SD (mM, n ¼ vivo rat model. 42 Moreover, Hettiarachchi et al revealed the very toxicity of CB [5] and CB [7] and high cell tolerance at concentrations of up to 1 mM when tested against normal human cell lines originated from kidney, liver, and blood tissues. 43…”

“…2 Recently, TQ showed a potential inhibition activity against coronavirus infections. 4,5 Despite the promising therapeutic efficiency of TQ, the lack of bioavailability, pharmacokinetic parameters, and formulation problems deferred the usage of TQ in the clinical development. 3 The bioavailability problem (for example, poor solubility in water) is mainly related to the fact that TQ is a hydrophobic molecule.…”