• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.805-809
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• 2004

The antimite activities of cumin seed oil-derived cuminaldehyde and eleven commercial components of Cuminum cyminum oil were examined against Dermatophagoides farinae and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus adults and compared with those of benzyl benzoate and N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide. Responses varied according to dose and mite species. On the basis of $LD_{50}$ values, the compound most toxic to D. farinae adults was cuminaldehyde ($2.40\mug/cm^2$) followed by benzyl benzoate ($9.32\mug/cm^2$), thymol ($9.43\mug/cm^2$), DEET ($36.84\mug/cm^2$), and 3-carene ($42.11\mug/cm^2$). Against D. pteronyssinus adults, cuminaldehyde ($1.94\mug/cm^2$) was much more effective than benzyl benzoate ($6.50\mug/cm^2$) thymol ($6.92\mug/cm^2$), DEET ($17.79\mug/cm^2$), and 3-carene ($39.85\mug/cm^2$). These results indicate that the antimite activity of cumin seed oil could be caused by cuminaldehyde. Cuminaldehyde was about 3.9 and 3.4 times more toxic than benzyl benzoate against D. farinae and D. pteronyssinus adults, respectively. Therefore, further study is needed to confirm the findings of this study and the possibility of cuminaldehyde as a house dust mite control agent or a lead compound.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.621-627
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• 2005

Halitosis is mainly caused by the presence of volatile sulfur-containing compounds (VSC's) produced by proteolytic periodontopathic bacteria in the oral cavity. Various mouth-rinses have been offered on the market as solutions to reduce halitosis. The aim of this study was to find a potent substance for the prevention of halitosis. The halitosis prevention substance (HPS) from cumin seed powder was purified by solvent extraction, silica gel column chromatography and preparative TLC to yield an oil phase (0.98%). Instrumental analysis such as FT-IR, $^1H$-NMR and $^{13}C$-NMR showed that HPS contained an -OH group, -HC=CH-, -COO-, and long chain acyl group. HPS was therefore determined to be 2-hydroxyethyl-${\beta}$-undecenate. HPS inhibited the growth of Fusobacterium nucleatum and Porphyromonas gingivalis, by 72.44% and 64.37% at $1{\times}10^{-2}\;M$, and by 99.85% and 91.62% at $5\;{\times}\;10^{-2}\;M$, respectively. It also inhibited the activity of L-methionine-${\alpha}$-deamino-${\gamma}$-mercaptomethane-lyase (METase), which was produced by oral microbes. Furthermore, the VSC production by oral microbes in the human mouth air decreased with increasing HPS concentration. These results suggested that HPS from cumin seed is an efficient halitosis prevention agent.

• CELLMED
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.11.1-11.14
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• 2020

Nigella sativa commonly known as Black seed, Black cumin or Kalonji (Family Ranunculaceae) is a widely used for its miraculous healing power. Use of N. sativa seeds and oil has splendid historical past in diverse traditional systems of medicine and food. In Tibb-e-Nabwi (Prophetic Medicine), it is considered as one of the greatest forms of healing medicine. Phytochemically; it contains fixed oil, protein, alkaloids saponin and essential oil. Therapeutic properties of this plant are due to the presence of thymoquinone which is one of major active component and has different beneficial properties. In Unani System of Medicine the diseases are treated with nontoxic herbal drugs. As per Unani classical literature N. sativa perform various pharmacological actions like carminative, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, diuretic, emmenagogue, galactagogue, expectorant etc. Ample of phytochemical, pharmacological and clinical researches has been executed on N. sativa., which may include antidiabetic, anticancer, immunomodulator, analgesic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, bronchodilator, hepato-protective, renal protective, gastro-protective, antioxidant properties, etc. This review is an effort to summarize the literature on scientific researches of pharmacognostical characteristics, chemical composition and pharmacological activities of the kalonji seeds

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.286-291
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• 2018

This study aimed to investigate the antioxidant ability of a cumin seeds ethanol extract (CE). The DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities of 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/mL of CE were found to be 24.6, 41.4, and 73.4 and 14.5, 27.2, and 50.1%, respectively (p<0.05), suggesting a dose-dependent effect. Moreover, the total phenolic content of CE was $61.0{\mu}M$ tannic acid equivalent/g extract and the FRAP value was $429{\mu}M$ ascorbic acid equivalent/g extract. In 9 hours of oil oxidation, CDA and ${\rho}-AV$ was significantly reduced to 13.4 and 59.1%, respectively, at a CE concentration of 100 ppm compared with that in the control (p<0.05). Major volatile compounds of CE were found to be ${\alpha}$-pinene, 2-butenal, cyclohexene, ${\beta}$-pinene, cis-sabinene, ${\rho}$-cymene, and limonene. These results suggest that CE containing volatile compounds has excellent antioxidant ability and oxidation stability, and thus could be used as a natural antioxidant to prevent oxidation in lipid foods.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.653-659
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• 2014

Surgery remains the preferred treatment for hydatid cyst (cystic echinococcosis, CE). Various scolicidal agents have been used for inactivation of protoscolices during surgery, but most of them are associated with adverse side effects. The present study aimed to evaluate the in vitro scolicidal effect of Nigella sativa (Ranunculaceae) essential oil and also its active principle, thymoquinone, against protoscolices of hydatid cysts. Protoscolices were aseptically aspirated from sheep livers having hydatid cysts. Various concentrations of the essential oil (0.01-10 mg/ml) and thymoquinone (0.125-1.0 mg/ml) were used for 5 to 60 min. Viability of protoscolices was confirmed by 0.1% eosin staining. Furthermore, the components of the N. sativa essential oil were identified by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS). Our study revealed that the essential oil of N. sativa at the concentration of 10 mg/ml and its main component, thymoquinone, at the concentration of 1 mg/ml had potent scolicidal activities against protoscolices of Echinococcus granulosus after 10 min exposure. Moreover, thymoquinone (42.4%), p-cymene (14.1%), carvacrol (10.3%), and longifolene (6.1%) were found to be the major components of N. sativa essential oil by GC/MS analysis. The results of this study indicated the potential of N. sativa as a natural source for production of a new scolicidal agent for use in hydatid cyst surgery. However, further studies will be needed to confirm these results by checking the essential oil and its active component in in vivo models.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.179-193
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• 2017

Objectives: Nigella sativa (black seed or black cumin), which belongs to the Ranunculacea family, is an annual herb with many pharmacological properties. Among its many active constituents, thymoquinone (TQ) is the most abundant constituent of the volatile oil of Nigella sativa (N. sativa) seeds, and it is the constituent to which most properties of this herb are attributed. Methods: PubMed-Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched to identify randomized control trials (RCTs) investigating the therapeutic effects of N. sativa and/or TQ. In this review, we investigated the clinical uses of N. sativa and TQ in the prevention and the treatment of different diseases and morbidity conditions in humans. Results: Black seed and TQ are shown to possess multiple useful effects for the treatment of patients with several diseases, such as inflammatory and auto-immune disorders, as well as metabolic syndrome. Also, other advantages, including antimicrobial, anti-nociceptive and anti-epileptic properties, have been documented. The side effects of this herbal medicine appear not to be serious, so it can be applied in clinical trials because of its many advantages. Conclusion: Some effects of N. sativa, such as its hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and bronchodilatory effects, have been sufficiently studied and are sufficiently understood to allow for the next phase of clinical trials or drug developments. However, most of its other effects and applications require further clinical and animal studies.

• Weed & Turfgrass Science
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.321-329
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• 2015

The present study aimed to evaluate the phytotoxic potential of essential oils. For this purpose, 18 essential oil samples extracted from Korean plants and 64 commercial essential oils were screened for their phytotoxic potential against the seedling growth of Brassica napus L. (rapeseed). Among the 82 samples, 11 commercial oils (cinnamon, citronella, clove, cumin seed, geranium, jasmine, lemongrass, palmarosa, pimento, rose otto and spearmint) strongly inhibited the seedling growth with $GR_{50}$ value < $150{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$. Major components from these effective essential oils were identified by solid phase microextraction/gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME/GC-MS). GC-MS analyses revealed that the effective samples mainly consist of benzyl benzoate, carvone, citral, citronellol, eugenol, geraniol, D-limonene and terpinene. Subsequently, bioactivity of these individual components was evaluated against the seedling growth of B. napus, Echinochloa crus-galli and Aeschynomene indica. The components from different chemical groups exhibited different potency in inhibiting the seedling growth with varied $GR_{50}$ values ranged from $29{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$ to > $1000{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$. In the greenhouse experiment, citral and geraniol completely suppressed the growth of all the tested 10 plants at $100kg\;ha^{-1}$. In conclusion, the individual essential oil components geraniol and citral could be used as natural herbicides for weed management.