Throughout history black seeds, Nigella sativa seeds, have been highly revered for its medicinal properties. Thymoquinone (TQ), an active principle component of the volatile oil of black cumin seeds, is an emerging natural compound with a wide range of medical applications, and has several beneficial pharmacological actions i.e anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-tumor, anti-mutagenic, anti-epileptic, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, and nephroprotective. As such, it is important to move TQ from the bench to bedside. This book illustrates the therapeutic importance of TQ, offering a detailed account of some of its molecular and therapeutic properties, and discussing in depth its anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-epileptic and hepatoprotective actions. Lastly, the book examines the future prospects of TQ research and its use as a pharmaceutical.
About the Author: Dr. Hina Younus is an associate professor at the Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit, Aligarh Muslim University, India. She has more than 14 years of teaching and research experience, and her specialization is in enzymology. Her current research interests are in the glycation of enzymes and its protection by natural compounds, studies on human salivary aldehyde dehydrogenase, and modulating enzymatic activity in the presence of nanoparticles. She has published 45 research articles in reputed peer-reviewed international journals, including Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, Biochimica Biophysica Acta, Applied Environmental Microbiology, Plos One. She is the recipient of the prestigious DAAD fellowship (2001-2003) and completed her postdoctorate at IUPUI, Indianapolis, U.S.A (2007-2009). She is the editorial board member of numerous journals including, Journal of Immunology and Vaccine Technology, Journal of Clinical and Medical Sciences, and Austin Environmental Sciences.
