Antibacterial activity of Thymoquinone, an active principle of Nigella sativa and its potency to prevent bacterial biofilm formation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Thymoquinone is an active principle of <it>Nigella sativa </it>seed known as "Habbah Al-Sauda" in Arabic countries and "Sinouj" in Tunisia. Bacterial biofilms tend to exhibit significant tolerance to antimicrobials drugs during infections.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The antibacterial activity of Thymoquinone (TQ) and its biofilm inhibition potencies were investigated on 11 human pathogenic bacteria. The growth and development of the biofilm were assessed using the crystal violet (CV) and the 2, 3-bis [2-methyloxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl]-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide (XTT) reduction assay.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>TQ exhibited a significant bactericidal activity against the majority of the tested bacteria (MICs values ranged from 8 to 32 μg/ml) especially Gram positive cocci (<it>Staphylococcus aureus </it>ATCC 25923 and <it>Staphylococcus epidermidis </it>CIP 106510). Crystal violet assay demonstrated that the minimum biofilm inhibition concentration (BIC50) was reached with 22 and 60 μg/ml for <it>Staphylococcus aureus </it>ATCC 25923 and <it>Staphylococcus epidermidis </it>CIP 106510 respectively. In addition our data revealed that cells oxidative activity was influenced by TQ supplementation. In the same way, TQ prevented cell adhesion to glass slides surface.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The ability of TQ to prevent biofilm formation warrants further investigation to explore its use as bioactive substances with antibiofilm potential.</p

Dermatological effects of Nigella sativa

Nigella sativa seed, commonly known as black seed, has been employed as a natural remedy for many ailments for centuries in many cultures. It contains many active components including thymoquinone, thymohydroquinone, dithymoquinone, thymol, carvacrol, nigellimine, nigellicine, nigellidine and alphahederin. It was reported to possess numerous pharmacological effects related to several organs of the body. In this article, the literature pertaining to dermatological effects of N. sativa is reviewed. To the best of our knowledge this is the first review in this subject and we expect it stimulates further studies on the dermatological effects and application of N. sativa

Cosmetic lip tattoo sequelae: A case report and review of literature

The interest in various cosmetic procedures is becoming a spreading concern to population of different age groups and genders. As a result of the popularity of cosmetic tattooing, drawbacks started to appear more often than before. We present a 48-year old Saudi lady, who developed a herpes infection of the lips following a cosmetic lip tattoo. The article describes the historical aspects of lip tattooing and reviews the reported complications