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A review of the effects of Nigella sativa L. and its constituent, thymoquinone, in metabolic syndrome

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Abstract

Background

Metabolic syndrome is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) occurrence and mortality. CVDs are leading cause of death worldwide. Recently, there has been an increasing interest in the use of herbal medicines with more efficiency and minimal undesirable effects than chemical drugs for a variety of disorders including CVD. Nigella sativa and its active constituent, thymoquinone, have been documented to exhibit antidiabetic, antiobesity, hypotensive and hypolipidemic properties.

Aim

In this review, we discussed the most relevant articles to find out the role of N. sativa in different components of metabolic syndrome and CVD risk factors including high blood pressure, obesity, dyslipidemia and high blood glucose.

Conclusions

This review suggests a potential role of N. sativa and TQ in the management of metabolic syndrome, however more studies should be conducted to evaluate their effectiveness.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacodynamy and Toxicology, Targeted Drug Delivery Research Center, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    B. M. Razavi

  2. Department of Pharmacodynamy and Toxicology, Pharmaceutical Research Center, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    H. Hosseinzadeh

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Razavi, B.M., Hosseinzadeh, H. A review of the effects of Nigella sativa L. and its constituent, thymoquinone, in metabolic syndrome. J Endocrinol Invest 37, 1031–1040 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-014-0150-1

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