Therapeutic effects of thymoquinone for the treatment of central nervous system tumors: A review

Background: The aim of this study is to review the effects of thymoquinone (TQ) against central nervous systems (CNS) tumors. Methods: In this study, we extensively reviewed all articles on the terms of N. sativa, TQ, CNS tumors, and different disorders in PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases between the years 1990 and 2017. Results: The present study found that TQ has many therapeutic effects due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-proliferative activities. Experimental studies indicated the protective effects of TQ against CNS tumors. The anti-tumor effects of TQ are mainly caused by inducing G2/M cell cycle arrest, apoptotic pathways, inhibiting autophagy, angiogenesis, invasion, and migration and also by enhancing the efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs. Although, the study observed no significant toxicity of TQ in the experimental models, more clinical studies are needed to confirm the safety and efficacy of TQ for human. Conclusions: The present review found that TQ treatment can be considered as a promising therapeutic strategy for human malignant CNS in future.