Potential role of thymoquinone to treat gastrointestinal cancers: insights into its molecular mechanisms

Tina Rahjoo; Alireza Motamedzadeh; Felora Ferdosi; Ehsan Dadgostar; Michael Aschner; Hamed Mirzaei; Sina Ghesmatpour; Fatemeh Nabavizadeh; Fatemeh Rahmati-Dehkordi; Omid Reza Tamtaji

doi:10.1007/s00210-025-03861-1

Potential role of thymoquinone to treat gastrointestinal cancers: insights into its molecular mechanisms

Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 2025 Mar 5. doi: 10.1007/s00210-025-03861-1. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Tina Rahjoo^{1

2}, Alireza Motamedzadeh³, Felora Ferdosi⁴, Ehsan Dadgostar^{5

6}, Michael Aschner⁷, Hamed Mirzaei⁸, Sina Ghesmatpour^{1

2}, Fatemeh Nabavizadeh^{9

10}, Fatemeh Rahmati-Dehkordi¹¹, Omid Reza Tamtaji^{12

13}

Affiliations

¹ Electrophysiology Research Center, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
² Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
³ Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
⁴ Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
⁵ Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Islamic Republic of Iran.
⁶ Student Research Committee, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Islamic Republic of Iran.
⁷ Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA.
⁸ Research Center for Biochemistry and Nutrition in Metabolic Diseases, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Islamic Republic of Iran.
⁹ Electrophysiology Research Center, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. Nabavizadeh@tums.ac.ir.
¹⁰ Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. Nabavizadeh@tums.ac.ir.
¹¹ Students' Scientific Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. f.rahmatidehkordi.frd@gmail.com.
¹² Electrophysiology Research Center, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. or-tamtaji@razi.tums.ac.ir.
¹³ Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. or-tamtaji@razi.tums.ac.ir.

PMID: 40045027
DOI: 10.1007/s00210-025-03861-1

Abstract

Gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies, including esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, and colon cancer, are associated with high mortality rates worldwide. Thymoquinone is one of the main bioactive components of Nigella sativa, and it has been documented to have anticancer effects including GI cancer. Thymoquinone inhibits GI cancer progression by inducing cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and oxidative stress and inhibiting inflammation, migration, invasion, metastasis, histone deacetylases, STAT3, PI3K/AKT/mTOR, and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways. Although the beneficial effects of thymoquinone have been documented, some limitations, including poor bioavailability and hydrophobicity, have hindered its clinical application. Nanotechnology approaches bypass these limitations. In this review article, we outline the different cellular and molecular pathways influenced by thymoquinone and its nanoformulations in GI cancer.

Keywords: Apoptosis; Gastrointestinal neoplasms; Metastasis; Nanotechnology; Thymoquinone.

Publication types

Review