The effects of thymoquinone on pancreatic cancer and immune cells

Black cumin is widely used as a spice and as a traditional treatment. The active ingredient in black cumin seeds is thymoquinone. Thymoquinone has shown anticancer effects in some cancers. We planned to investigate its anticancer effect on pancreatic cancer cell lines.

Thymoquinone chemical component in various doses was prepared and inoculated on pancreatic cancer cell culture, healthy mesenchymal stem cells, and peripheral blood mononuclear cell culture. IC50 values were calculated by absorbance data and measuring cell viability by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide staining of cells incubated with thymoquinone at 24, 48, and 72 h.

There was dose-related cytotoxicity. Maximal cytotoxicity was observed at 24 h and 100 μM thymoquinone concentrations in pancreatic cancer cell culture and mesenchymal stem cells. Any concentration of thymoquinone was not cytotoxic to peripheral blood mononuclear cell. Thymoquinone even caused proliferation at a concentration of 6.25 μM.

Since the cytotoxic concentration of thymoquinone on pancreatic cancer cell culture and mesenchymal stem cells is the same, it is not appropriate to use thymoquinone to achieve cytotoxicity in pancreatic cancer. However, since thymoquinone provides proliferation in peripheral blood mononuclear cell at a noncytotoxic dose, it may have an immune activator effect. Therefore, in vivo studies are needed to investigate the effect of thymoquinone on the immune system.