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In recent times, scientific attention has been paid to different foods and their bioactive components for the ability to inhibit the onset and progress of different types of cancer. Nigella sativa extract, powder and seed oil and its main components, thymoquinone and α-hederin, have showed potent anticancer and chemosensitizing effects against various types of cancer, such as liver, colon, breast, renal, cervical, lung, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate and skin tumors, through the modulation of various molecular signaling pathways. Herein, the purpose of this review was to highlight the anticancer activity of Nigella sativa and it constitutes, focusing on different in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies and projects, in order to underline their antiproliferative, proapoptotic, cytotoxic and antimetastatic effects. Particular attention has been also given to the synergistic effect of Nigella sativa and it constitutes with chemotherapeutic drugs, and to the synthesized analogs of thymoquinone that seem to enhance the chemo-sensitizing potential. This review could be a useful step towards new research on N. sativa and cancer, to include this plant in the dietary treatments in support to conventional therapies, for the best achievement of therapeutic goals.

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This study aims to evaluate the phenolic contents, chemical composition, mineral amount as well as antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts from dried black cumin (Nigella sativa L; family: Ranunculaceae) seed powder. We also performed an in vitro gastrointestinal digestion process to understand the effect on phenolic components and their antioxidant activity after gastrointestinal digestion. Black cumin showed high amounts of total phenolic and flavonoid contents, such as dihydroxybenzoic acid and ferulic acid, through high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. Six mineral elements (Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Se, and Zn) were determined by using coupled plasma mass spectrometry, while 25 fatty acids (13 saturated, 7 unsaturated, and 5 unsaturated omega fatty acids) were also identified by gas chromatography, with linoleic acid the most present. In addition, black cumin extract presented high antioxidant capacity measured by DPPH, FRAP, and TEAC. Additionally, dried black cumin powder was evaluated after gastrointestinal digestion: phenolic compounds (1.81-fold), flavonoids (1.03-fold), and antioxidant capacity (up to 2.1-fold) increased in gastric fraction compared to the undigested methanolic extract. Moreover, a higher amount (p < 0.05) of total phenolic content and flavonoids, as well as higher total antioxidant capacity, were found in the gastric and elimination fraction than in the bioaccessible fraction. Our results demonstrated that there were a significant decrease in the quantity of phenolic compounds (68%) and flavonoids (95.53%) after gastrointestinal digestion in the bioaccessible fraction as well as a reduced the antioxidant activity (10.79%-94.84%), suggesting that phenolic compounds are responsible for antioxidant activity.

Modern high-throughput ‘omics’ science tools (including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics and microbiomics) are currently being applied to nutritional sciences to unravel the fundamental processes of health effects ascribed to particular nutrients in humans and to contribute to more precise nutritional advice. Diet and food components are key environmental factors that interact with the genome, transcriptome, proteome, metabolome and the microbiota, and this life-long interplay defines health and diseases state of the individual. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease featured by a systemic immune-inflammatory response, in genetically susceptible individuals exposed to environmental triggers, including diet. In recent years increasing evidences suggested that nutritional factors and gut microbiome have a central role in RA risk and progression. The aim of this review is to summarize the main and most recent applications of ‘omics’ technologies in human nutrition and in RA research, examining the possible influences of some nutrients and nutritional patterns on RA pathogenesis, following a nutrigenomics approach. The opportunities and challenges of novel ‘omics technologies’ in the exploration of new avenues in RA and nutritional research to prevent and manage RA will be also discussed.

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Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a rare tumor subpopulation with high differentiation, proliferative and tumorigenic potential compared to the remaining tumor population. CSCs were first discovered by Bonnet and Dick in 1997 in acute myeloid leukemia. The identification and isolation of these cells in this pioneering study were carried out through the flow cytometry, exploiting the presence of specific cell surface molecular markers (CD34+/CD38−). In the following years, different strategies and projects have been developed for the study of CSCs, which are basically divided into surface markers assays and functional assays; some of these techniques also allow working with a cellular model that better mimics the tumor architecture. The purpose of this mini review is to summarize and briefly describe all the current methods used for the identification, isolation and enrichment of CSCs, describing, where possible, the molecular basis, the advantages and disadvantages of each technique with a particular focus on those that offer a three-dimensional culture.

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