Occurrence and Bioactivity Diversity of Thymoquinone: An Overview

Abstract

Nigella sativa L. seeds are traditionally known for their ability to cure different diseases including airway and digestive system disorders, back pain, chronic headache, paralysis, diabetes, hypertension, and skin diseases. Keeping in view the numerous traditional medicinal uses of N. sativa seeds which may be related to thymoquinone (TQ), the main component of its essential oil, we provide an overview of the biological efficacy and toxicology of TQ to support their therapeutic potential in treatment of human diseases. The current review covers the recent literature from 2002 to 2021. The data was collected from books, journals, electronic searches (Pub Med, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and Springerlink), and theses. Thymoquinone exhibits importance in combating various diseases such as inflammation, arthritis, ulcerative colitis, cancer. Also, it showed ability to cure neuropathic pain, male infertility, diabetes, hepatitis, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, respiratory, renal, skin, microbial infection, and neurodegenerative diseases comprising Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. That explains the traditional uses of N. sativa seeds in folk remedies in curing different ailments. The current review provides an explanation of the ethnopharmacological uses of N. sativa L. seeds which are related to the pharmacological activities of TQ. The pharmacological properties, pharmacokinetics, efficacy, high therapeutic index, lipophilicity, and safety margin make TQ a hopeful candidate for drug development.