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The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing worldwide, and a close association between acute kidney injury (AKI) and CKD has recently been identified. Black cumin (Nigella sativa) has been shown to be effective in treating various kidney diseases. Accumulating evidence shows that black cumin and its vital compound, thymoquinone (TQ), can protect against kidney injury caused by various xenobiotics, namely chemotherapeutic agents, heavy metals, pesticides, and other environmental chemicals. Black cumin can also protect the kidneys from ischemic shock. The mechanisms underlying the kidney protective potential of black cumin and TQ include antioxidation, anti-inflammation, anti-apoptosis, and antifibrosis which are manifested in their regulatory role in the antioxidant defense system, NF-κB signaling, caspase pathways, and TGF-β signaling.
Experimental Models |
Treatment with Doses |
Pathophysiological Alterations |
Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Acetylsalicylic acid-induced nephrotoxicity in rats |
Ethanolic NSE (250 mg/kg) |
Improved paired kidney weight, body weight, relative tissue body weight index, and normalized serum urea and creatinine |
[18] |
Aspirin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats |
Ethanolic NSE (250 mg/kg) |
Significant improvement in histological parameters, including disrupted brush border, epithelial necrosis, intraluminal protein casts, and basement membrane integrity |
[17] |
Calcium oxalate-induced urolithiasis in rats |
NSO (5 mL/kg BW/dose/ day for 28 days) |
↓Urinary and serum rates of calcium phosphate and oxalate; ↑volume of urine excreted |
[58] |
CCl4-induced kidney injury in rats |
Combined fish oil/ NSO (300 mg oil emulsions /kg BW, for 20 days) |
↑Unsaturated fatty acids; ↓oxidative stress and inflammation |
[59] |
CP-induced AKI in rats |
NSO (2 mL/kg BW orally) |
↓Serum creatinine, BUN and ↑BBM enzyme activities in kidney cortical and medullary homogenates and BBMV; carbohydrate metabolism enzyme activities, and in the enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant parameters toward normalcy |
[15] |
CP-induced kidney toxicity in rats |
NSP (3 g/kg/day), extract (0.5g/kg/ day) and NSO (2 g/kg/day) for 60 days |
↓Serum levels of urea, creatinine, and K+; ↑Na+, Na+/K+ ratio, vitamin D, nutritional markers, and antioxidant enzymes |
[60] |
Diazinon-induced nephrotoxicity in rats |
NSO (2 mg/kg/daily) |
↓AST, ALT, ALP, BIL, creatinine and urea |
[22] |
Haloperidol (HAL)-induced nephrotoxicity in rats |
NSO (Pre-, co- and post-treatment: 150 mg/kg BW for 7 days) |
↓K+, Na+, MDA contents and aldose-reductase activity, and AMP hydrolysis; ↑ATP in the plasma cell membranes of rat kidney; ↓inner kidney cortex and outer medulla |
[61] |
IRI-induced kidney injury in rats |
Single dose of NSP (400 mg/kg orally) |
↓Stain-positive cells in kidney tissue; ↓tissue MDA levels; ↑GPx and CAT |
[12] |
Methotrexate-induced nephrotoxicity in mice |
NSO (0.125 mL/daily) |
↓MDA; ↑GSH levels in kidney homogenate |
[14] |
Paracetamol-induced nephrotoxicity in rats |
Ethanolic NSE (250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg) |
↓Serum urea and creatinine; ↑SOD and GSH; ↓MDA levels in the kidneys; reversed kidney pathological damage |
[16] |
Penconazole-induced nephrotoxicity in rats |
NSO (orally 0.2ml black cumin oil /100 g BW three days/ week for four weeks) |
↓Subcapsular space and hypercellularity of the glomerular cells; attachment of podocytes and their processes; ↑Bcl-2 immune marker; ↓intercalated cells of cortical; ↓α-SMA and collagen fibers; ↓MDA level; ↑SOD and CAT |
[21] |
Sodium nitrite-induced nephrotoxicity in rats |
NSO (2.5, 5, and 10 mL/kg for 12 weeks) |
↓Serum urea and creatinine; ↑normal appearance of kidney tissue; ↓glycogen levels; ↓fibrosis markers, partially; ↓caspase-3 and pJNK/JNK |
[62] |
Unilateral ureteral obstruction-induced kidney damage in rats |
NSE (200 and 400 mg/kg, 2 doses for 18 days) |
↓Kidney angiotensin II and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 expression, MDA and TNF-α levels, and the number of apoptotic cells; ↑kidney total thiol content and the activity of antioxidant enzymes |
[63] |
Arsenic-induced kidney toxicity in female rats |
TQ (10 mg/kg) and ebselen (5 mg/kg) |
↓Oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, As accumulation in the kidney tissue; ↓histological kidney damage |
[19] |
Cadmium-induced nephrotoxicity in rats |
TQ (50 mg/kg BW) |
↓Toxicity of Cd and preserved histological architecture of the kidney tissue; ↓Overexpression of NF-κB in kidney tissue; ↓apoptotic cells; subdued lipid peroxidation; ↓SOD, GPx, and CAT activities in kidney tissue |
[20] |
IRI-induced kidney injury in rats |
TQ (10 mg/kg/day) |
Reduction of IRI-related alteration in kidney functions: ↑left RBF and GFR; ↑left kidney FENa; ↓gene expressions of KIM-1, NGAL, TNF-α, TGF-β1 and PAI-1 |
[13] |
Sodium nitrite-induced kidney toxicity in rats |
TQ (25 and 50 mg/kg, p.o., daily) |
↓Oxidative stress, restoration of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and protection of kidney tissue from apoptosis |
[24] |
CP-induced nephrotoxicity in rats |
NSO (2 mL/kg BW, orally) and TQ (1.5 mg/kg BW, orally) |
Improve kidney function, restored serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen levels; ↑BBM marker enzymes (ALP, GGTase and LAP) in BBMVs, homogenates of kidney cortex and medulla; ↓kidney metabolic and redox status |
[64] |
AKI, Acute kidney injury; ALP, Alkaline phosphatase; ALT, Alanine aminotransferase; AMP, Activated protein kinase; AST, Aspartate aminotransferase; ATP, Adenosine triphosphate, As, Arsenic; BBM, Brush border membrane; BBMV, Brush border membrane vesicle; BIL, Bilirubin; BUN, Blood urea nitrogen; Bcl-2, B-cell lymphoma 2; CAT, Catalase; CCl4, Carbon tetrachloride; CKD, Chronic kidney disease; CP, Cisplatin; Cd, Cadmium; FENa, Fractional excretion of sodium; GFR, Growth factor receptor; GGTase, Geranylgeranyltransferase; GPx, Glutathione peroxidase; GSH, Glutathione; IRI–Ischemia-reperfusion injury; JNK, c-Jun N-terminal kinases; KIM-1, Kidney injury molecule-1; LAP, latency-associated peptide; MDA, Malondialdehyde; NF-κB, Nuclear factor kappa B; NGAL, Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin; NSO, N. sativa oil; NSP, N. sativa seed powder; NSE, N. sativa seed extract; pJNK, Phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase; PAI-1, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1; RBF, Renal blood flow; SOD, Superoxide dismutase; TGF-β1, Transforming growth factor beta 1; TNF-α, Tumor necrosis factor alpha; TQ, Thymoquinone; α-SMA, Smooth muscle alpha-actin.
Table 2. Summary on the protective effects of black cumin against various kidney diseases in patients.
Types of Kidney Disease |
Treatment with Doses |
Pathophysiological Alterations |
Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Randomized, prospective, comparative, and open-labeled clinical trial with Stages 3 and 4 CKD patients |
NSO (2.5 mL, p.o., once daily) along with alpha-keto analog of essential amino acids |
↓Blood urea, serum creatinine, and 24-h total urine protein; ↑24-h total urine volume and glomerular filtration rate; delaying the progression of CKD at stages 3 and 4 |
[27] |
Prospective, comparative, and open-label study with patients with CKD (Stage 3 and 4) due to diabetic nephropathy |
NSO (2.5 mL, once daily and orally) |
↓Blood glucose, serum creatinine, blood urea, 24 h total urinary protein levels; ↑glomerular filtration rate, 24 h total urinary volume, and hemoglobin level |
[25] |
Randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial in patients with kidney stones |
Seed capsule (500 mg, twice for 10 weeks |
Retreated or decreased the size of kidney stones |
[26] |
CKD, chronic kidney disease; NSO, Nigella sativa oil.