ABSTRACT
Phytochemicals are naturally occurring plant compounds that moderate animal biochemistry and metabolism, altering responses to various illnesses, like cancer and inflammatory and respiratory disorders. These are of much fascination due to their far-reduced side effects and lower interaction in killing the healthy or otherwise nondiseased cells. Thymoquinone, a volatile terpenoid, is an effective drug that displays several properties, including antibacterial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant. We review recent literature that supports the use of thymoquinone as a pharmaceutical lead molecule with its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiglycemic, and antihypertensive properties. Thymoquinone has a pronounced effect against tumor cell growth, migratory, and malignancy. Another focus of this review is to demonstrate the anticancer activity of thymoquinone and possible involvement as topoisomerase II inhibitor. These properties acknowledge thymoquinone as an adjuvant therapeutic intervention for conventional cancer therapy to reduce nonspecific targeting and the side effects.
