Effectiveness of thymoquinone in the treatment of experimental asthma

Abstract

Background. Thymoquinone (TQ), the main active constituent of the volatile oil extracted from Nigella sativa's seeds, is used for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and exhibits a variety of pharmacological effects. Methods. Twenty-eight BALB/c female mice were divided into four groups: I (sham-operated control group), II, III, and IV. All groups except for the sham-operated group were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin. The sham-operated group received nebulized saline in challenge period. Mice in groups III and IV were administered TQ at a dose of 3 mg/kg and dexamethasone 1 mg/kg, respectively, intraperitoneally once a day for the final 5 days of the challenge period. Animals were sacrificed 24 h after the last drug administration and the airway samples were evaluated histologically by light microscopy. Results. All histological parameters in Group III, similar to Group IV, were improved when compared to Group II. All variables except numbers of goblet cells were found to be significantly better in Group III and Group IV compared to Group II. Conclusions. In our study, we demonstrated that TQ administration alleviates the pathological changes of chronic asthma. TQ might be a promising therapy for asthma in the future.