ArticleBMC complementary medicine and therapies2020
Distinct anti-proliferative effects of herbal melanin on human acute monocytic leukemia THP-1 cells and embryonic kidney HEK293 cells.
Article in BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systematic Review of Multi-Omics Approaches to Investigate Toxicological Effects in Macrophages.International journal of molecular sciences · 2020Pooled it
- Herbal Melanin Inhibits Colorectal Cancer Cell Motility, Invasiveness, and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition, Associated with u-PAR Downregulation Through JNK and ERK Pathways.Current issues in molecular biology · 2026Article
- Preclinical pharmaco-toxicological screening of biomimetic melanin-like nanoparticles as a potential therapeutic strategy for cutaneous melanoma.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Article
- Melanin Synthesized by the EndophyticCurrent topics in medicinal chemistry · 2024Article
- Herbal melanin modulates PGE2 and IL-6 gastroprotective markers through COX-2 and TLR4 signaling in the gastric cancer cell line AGS.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2023Article
- Therapeutic benefits of prophetic medicine remedies in treating hematological diseases (A review article).American journal of blood research · 2023Review
- Melanin and Melanin-Functionalized Nanoparticles as Promising Tools in Cancer Research-A Review.Cancers · 2022Review
- Review
- Herbal melanin induces interleukin-1β secretion and production by human THP-1 monocytes via Toll-like receptor 2 and p38 MAPK activation.Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2021Article
- Applications of Melanin and Melanin-Like Nanoparticles in Cancer Therapy: A Review of Recent Advances.Cancers · 2021Review
- Strategies for Biomaterial-Based Spinal Cord Injury RepairFrontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2021Review
- Anti-Proliferative and Pro-Apoptotic Effects ofJournal of evidence-based integrative medicineArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundHerbal melanin (HM) is a dark pigment extracted from the seed coat of Nigella sativa L. and known to exert biological effects via toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). Recently, TLR4 was described as involved in natural programmed cell death (apoptosis). Tumor and embryonic cells are used as in vitro cellular models for drug and anti-cancer agent screening. To date, no cytotoxic studies have been reported of HM in TLR4-positive acute monocytic leukemia THP-1 cells compared to TLR4-negative human embryonic kidney HEK293 cells.
methodsWe studied the anti-proliferative effects of several HM concentrations on THP-1 and HEK293 cells by evaluating cell viability using the CellTiter-Glo® luminescent assay, assessing the TLR4 expression level, determining the apoptotic status, and analyzing the cell cycle distribution using flow cytometry. Apoptotic pathways were investigated using mitochondrial transition pore opening, caspase activity assays and immunoblot technology.
resultsLow HM concentrations did not affect THP-1 cell viability, but high HM concentrations (62.5-500 μg/mL) did decrease THP-1 cell viability and induced G
conclusionHM exerts distinct anti-proliferative effects on human acute monocytic leukemia and embryonic kidney cells mainly through cell cycle interference in a TLR4-independent manner and through apoptosis induction in a TLR4-dependent manner, as observed in only the THP-1 cells.
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Registered trials
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