Table 1.
Summary of studies reporting on the anti-obesity activity of thymoquinone
| Experimental model | Dose and duration | Findings | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| In vitro Evidence | |||
| Human adipose tissue-derived Stem Cells (ADSCs) | TQ: 6.25, 12.5, and 25 µg/ml for 21days in cell culture | Decreased lipid accumulation, reduced FAS/β-actin ratio, decreased expression of PPARγ | (47) |
| 3T3-L1 cells | TQ: 1-4µM for 6 days | Reduced droplet size | (54) |
| In vivo Evidence | |||
| Olanzapine-induced metabolic dysfunction in Wistar rats | TQ: 10 mg/kg/day intraperitoneal for 15 days | Decreased body weight and feed intake decreased AMPK proteins |
(49) |
| Female Sprague Dawley rats | TQ: 1 mg, 2 mg, 10 mg/kg intraperitoneal, and 20 mg/kg orally for 42 days | Decreased expression of ghrelin in the stomach | (51) |
| High-fat-fed Wistar rats | TQ: 50 mg/kg, orally for 10 weeks | Decreased weight gain and final body weight | (17) |
| Streptozotocin-induced diabetic Swiss albino mice | TQ: 20 mg/kg/day orally throughout pregnancy and lactation | Decreased litter size and body weight Significantly restored levels of blood glucose, insulin, free radicals, plasma cytokines, and lipids as well as lymphocyte proliferation in the offspring |
(52) |
| High fat-fed male Wistar albino rats | TQ: 10 m/kg/day intraperitoneal for 6 weeks | Decreased mean body weight Decreased epididymal fat pad |
(53) |
| High fat-fed C57BL/6J mice | 0.75 % TQ in dietary combination with 2% ω3 fatty acid for 8 weeks | Up-regulated protein expression of adipose tissue browning markers and insulin signaling components | (54) |
| 45% Kcal-fed obese mouse model | Black cumin seed extract: 400, 200, and 100 mg/kg orally for 84 days | Decreased body weight Dose-dependent decreased abdominal and body fat accumulations, decreased adipocyte hypertrophy |
(56) |
| Clinical Trial | |||
| Obese pre-diabetics | N. sativa oil soft gelatin capsules 450 mg twice daily orally | Decreased body weight, BMI, lipid profile, inflammatory markers, TNF-α, SIRT 1, and P53 | (57) |
| Obese women | Low-calorie diet with 3 g/day of NS oil for 8 weeks | Decreased TNF-α and C-reactive proteins | (58) |
| Obese males | 1.5 g N. sativa powder orally for 3 months | Decreased body weight and waist circumference | (59) |
TQ: Thymoquinone, FAS: fatty acid synthase, PPAR: peroxisome-proliferator activated receptor γ: gamma, α: alpha, AMPK: adenosine monophosphate protein kinase, TNF: tumor necrosis factor, SIRT 1: sirtuin 1, p53: tumor protein 53