ArticlePloS one2014
Thymoquinone induces cell death in human squamous carcinoma cells via caspase activation-dependent apoptosis and LC3-II activation-dependent autophagy.
Article in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers.
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Who cites it
37 citing papers in PubMed, 103 citations in OpenAlex.
- Targeting autophagy in oral squamous cell carcinoma chemoresistance: molecular mechanisms, therapeutic strategies, and emerging nanotherapeutic approaches.Molecular biology reports · 2026Review
- Targeting Cancer Through Thymoquinone: From Molecular Mechanisms to Clinical Prospects.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Natural Compounds and their Nano-formulations in Combating Autophagy-mediated Drug Resistance in Human Cancers.Current topics in medicinal chemistry · 2025Review
- Plant-Derived Anti-Cancer Therapeutics and Biopharmaceuticals.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Synergistic Anti-Cancer Effects of Curcumin and Thymoquinone Against Melanoma.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Autophagy as a targeted therapeutic approach for skin cancer: Evaluating natural and synthetic molecular interventions.Cancer pathogenesis and therapy · 2024Review
- In Vitro Assessment of the Cytotoxic Effect of 5-Fluorouracil, Thymoquinone and their Combination on Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cell Line.Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP · 2024Article
- Tumoricidal properties of thymoquinone on human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells via the modulation of autophagy.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2024Article
- Apoptotic effect of thymoquinone on OVCAR3 cells via the P53 and CASP3 activation.Acta cirurgica brasileira · 2024Article
- Thymoquinone: A Promising Therapeutic Agent for the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer.Current issues in molecular biology · 2023Review
- Molecular pathways modulated by phytochemicals in head and neck cancer.Journal of cell communication and signaling · 2023Review
- Modulation of PD‑L1 expression by standard therapy in head and neck cancer cell lines and exosomes.International journal of oncology · 2023Article
- Anticancer effects of thymoquinone in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: A scoping review.Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology · 2023Article
- Review
- Article
- Article
- Nutritional Value and Preventive Role ofMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- Enriched pharmacokinetic behavior and antitumor efficacy of thymoquinone by liposomal delivery.Nanomedicine (London, England) · 2021Article
- Novel Approaches of Dysregulating Lysosome Functions in Cancer Cells by Specific Drugs and Its Nanoformulations: A Smart Approach of Modern Therapeutics.International journal of nanomedicine · 2021Review
- Phytochemicals as a Complement to Cancer Chemotherapy: Pharmacological Modulation of the Autophagy-Apoptosis Pathway.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThymoquinone (TQ), an active component of Nigella sativa or black cumin, elicits cytotoxic effects on various cancer cell lines. However, the anti-cancer effects of TQ on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remain unclear. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL
findingsIn this study, TQ elicited a strong cytotoxic effect on SASVO3, a highly malignant HNSCC cell line. The mechanisms of this cytotoxic effect were concentration dependent. TQ also induced apoptotic cell death in SASVO3 cells as indicated by an increase in Bax expression and caspase-9 activation. Apoptosis was possibly caspase-9 dependent because the exposure of cells to a caspase-9 inhibitor partially prevented cell death. The exposed cells also showed increased levels of autophagic vacuoles and LC3-II proteins, which are specific autophagy markers. Cell viability assay results further revealed that bafilomycin-A1, an autophagy inhibitor, enhanced TQ cytotoxicity; by comparison, Annexin V and propidium-iodide staining assay results showed that this inhibitor did not promote apoptosis. TQ treatment also increased the accumulation of autophagosomes. Using a lentivirus-shRNA system for LC3 silencing, we found that cell viability was eradicated in autophagy-defective cells. An in vivo BALB/c nude mouse xenograft model further showed that TQ administered by oral gavage reduced tumor growth via induced autophagy and apoptosis.
conclusionsThese findings indicated that TQ induced cell death in oral cancer cells via two distinct anti-neoplastic activities that can induce apoptosis and autophagy. Therefore, TQ is a promising candidate in phytochemical-based, mechanistic, and pathway-targeted cancer prevention strategies.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.