The Effect of Thymoquinone on BEAS-2B Cell Viability and TGF-β1 Release

Thymoquinone, one of the essential oil in the structure of cumin, is used for alternative therapy for many diseases from past to present. It was shown to have anti-carcinogenic and anti-inflammatory effects, as well as positive effects on fibrosis. However, there is no study on the effect of thymoquinone on cancer and fibrosis mechanism in bronchial epithelium cell line BEAS-2B. In our study, the effect of thymoquinone on cell viability and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) level, which has an important role in the regulation of many biological processes including cancer and fibrosis-associated signal transduction, was evaluated. BEAS-2B cells were exposed to thymoquinone at 0–80 μmol/L concentrations for 24-, 48- and 72-hour durations. Cell viability was evaluated with 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) test. TGF-β1 level was determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method from the collected supernatant. Cell viability was found to be increased at all concentrations and durations (10–80 μmol/L; 24, 48 and 72 h) according to the control group (0 μmol/L; thymoquinone in ethanol) (p < 0.0001). Moreover, thymoquinone was found to increase the level of TGF-β1 only at 80 μmol/L concentration and 24-hour exposure period (0 μmol/L, 53.41 ± 18.44 pgr/ml TGF-β1; 80 μmol/L, 174.5 ± 80.03 pgr/ml TGF-β1). As a result, thymoquinone was found to increase cell proliferation and encourage TGF-β1 release.

[1]  Vasilis Aidinis,et al.  Lung cancer in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. , 2017, Pulmonary pharmacology & therapeutics.

[2]  P. Yang,et al.  Protective effect of thymoquinone on cholestatic rats with liver injury. , 2015, Genetics and molecular research : GMR.

[3]  A. Hosseinzadeh Colagar,et al.  Thymoquinone and its therapeutic potentials. , 2015, Pharmacological research.

[4]  P. Barnes,et al.  Trends in the use of complementary health approaches among adults: United States, 2002-2012. , 2015, National health statistics reports.

[5]  J. Nan,et al.  Thymoquinone alleviates thioacetamide-induced hepatic fibrosis and inflammation by activating LKB1-AMPK signaling pathway in mice. , 2014, International immunopharmacology.

[6]  Jie Fan,et al.  Anti-fibrotic effect of thymoquinone on hepatic stellate cells. , 2014, Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology.

[7]  Gülcan Avci,et al.  Timokinon: Nigella sativa’nın Biyoaktif Komponenti , 2013 .

[8]  J. Nan,et al.  Thymoquinone attenuates liver fibrosis via PI3K and TLR4 signaling pathways in activated hepatic stellate cells. , 2013, International immunopharmacology.

[9]  H. El-Mesallamy,et al.  Thymoquinone blocks lung injury and fibrosis by attenuating bleomycin-induced oxidative stress and activation of nuclear factor Kappa-B in rats. , 2012, Toxicology.

[10]  G. Sethi,et al.  Thymoquinone: potential cure for inflammatory disorders and cancer. , 2012, Biochemical pharmacology.

[11]  M. Kanter.  Thymoquinone attenuates lung injury induced by chronic toluene exposure in rats , 2011, Toxicology and industrial health.

[12]  C. Sankaranarayanan,et al.  Beneficial effects of thymoquinone on hepatic key enzymes in streptozotocin-nicotinamide induced diabetic rats. , 2009, Life sciences.

[13]  P. Metcalf,et al.  COPD prevalence is increased in lung cancer, independent of age, sex and smoking history , 2009, European Respiratory Journal.

[14]  M. Menon,et al.  Androgen receptor and E2F-1 targeted thymoquinone therapy for hormone-refractory prostate cancer. , 2007, Cancer research.

[15]  A. Tobin,et al.  The Use of Alternative Medicine in Pediatric Patients with Atopic Dermatitis , 2007, Pediatric dermatology.

[16]  E. Venkatraman,et al.  Prevalence of COPD in women compared to men around the time of diagnosis of primary lung cancer. , 2006, Chest.

[17]  M. Salem.  Immunomodulatory and therapeutic properties of the Nigella sativa L. seed. , 2005, International immunopharmacology.

[18]  M. Kanter,et al.  Hepatoprotective effects of Nigella sativa L and Urtica dioica L on lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzyme systems and liver enzymes in carbon tetrachloride-treated rats. , 2005, World journal of gastroenterology.

[19]  Jeffrey S. Chang,et al.  Complementary and alternative medicine use among patients attending a hospital dermatology clinic in Taiwan , 2003, International journal of dermatology.

[20]  F. Hamada,et al.  The influence of thymoquinone on doxorubicin-induced hyperlipidemic nephropathy in rats. , 2000, Toxicology.

[21]  O. Badary.  Thymoquinone attenuates ifosfamide-induced Fanconi syndrome in rats and enhances its antitumor activity in mice. , 1999, Journal of ethnopharmacology.

[22]  O. Badary,et al.  Thymoquinone protects against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity without compromising its antitumor activity. , 1998, Journal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR.

[23]  J. Krsti,et al.  Transforming Growth Factor-Beta and Oxidative Stress Interplay : Implications in Tumorigenesis and Cancer Progression , 2015 .

[24]  L. Wakefield,et al.  The two faces of transforming growth factor beta in carcinogenesis. , 2003, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.