STUDIES ON THE CHEMICAL CONSTITUTION OF EGYPTIAN NIGELLA SATIVA L. SEEDS. 111) THE ESSENTIAL OIL. By M. E l-D a k h a k h n y Nigella sativa L. is an annual of the Ranunculaceae herbaceous plant growing in countries bordering on the Mediterranean Sea. Its seeds are reputated and used by the common people for many medicinal purposes. G a d et al. (1963) reported on the composition of the fatty oil of the Egyptian seeds. They reported the presence of a 1.4% of an essential oil obtained by steam distillation of the oil. In a n early publication for T i w a r i and K a r t e r (1942), it was reported that the Indian seeds contained 0.4 % of an essential oil. M a h f o u z and E 1-D a k h a k h n y (1 960) isolated a crystalline compound from the essential oil of the Egyptian Nigella saliva L. seeds by the use of Girard reagent.
A plant mixture containing extracts of Nigella sativa possesses blood glucose lowering effects, but the direct antidiabetic effect of Nigella sativa is not yet established. Therefore, the effect of Nigella sativa oil (NSO) on blood glucose concentrations was studied in streptozotocin diabetic rats. In addition, the effect of NSO, nigellone and thymoquinone were studied on insulin secretion of isolated rat pancreatic islets in the presence of 3, 5.6 or 11.1 mM glucose. NSO significantly lowered blood glucose concentrations in diabetic rats after 2, 4 and 6 weeks. The blood lowering effect of NSO was, however, not paralleled by a stimulation of insulin release in the presence of NSO, nigellone or thymoquinone. The data indicate that the hypoglycemic effect of NSO may be mediated by extrapancreatic actions rather than by stimulated insulin release.
The effects of 4 weeks oral intake of Nigella sativa L. (NS) oil on some liver function tests and D-galactosamine- or carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity were investigated in male albino rats. In another series of experiments, the effect of the oil on serum lipid profile was examined in male spontaneously hypertensive rats of stroke prone strain and Wistar Kyoto rats. The study showed that daily administration of the oil per se (800 mg/kg orally for 4 weeks) did not adversely effect the serum transaminases (ALT and AST), alkaline phosphatase, serum bilirubin or prothrombin activity in normal albino rats. When the oil was given for 4 weeks prior to induction of hepatotoxicity by D-galactosamine or carbon tetrachloride, it was able to give complete protection against d-galactosamine and partial protection against carbon tetrachloride hepatotoxicity. NS oil showed a favourable effect on the serum lipid pattern where the administration of the oil (800 mg/kg orally for 4 weeks) caused a significant decrease in serum total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein, triglycerides and a significant elevation of serum high density lipoprotein level.
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