Individual ingredients of NP-101 (Thymoquinone formula) inhibit SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus infection

Abdelrahim Maen, Betul Gok Yavuz, Yehia I. Mohamed, Abdullah Esmail, Jianming Lu, Amr Mohamed, Asfar S. Azmi, Mohamed Kaseb, Osama Kasseb, Dan Li, Michelle Gocio, Mehmet Kocak, Abdelhafez Selim, Qing Ma, Ahmed O. Kaseb

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Thymoquinone TQ, an active ingredient of Nigella Sativa, has been shown to inhibit COVID-19 symptoms in clinical trials. Thymoquinone Formulation (TQF or NP-101) is developed as a novel enteric-coated medication derivative from Nigella Sativa. TQF consists of TQ with a favorable concentration and fatty acids, including palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids. In this study, we aimed to investigate the roles of individual ingredients of TQF on infection of SARS-CoV-2 variants in-vitro, by utilizing Murine Leukemia Virus (MLV) based pseudovirus particles. We demonstrated that NP-101, TQ, and other individual ingredients, including oleic, linoleic, and palmitic acids inhibited SARS-CoV-2 infection in the MLV-based pseudovirus model. A large, randomized phase 2 study of NP-101 is planned in outpatient COVID-19 patients.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number1291212
JournalFrontiers in Pharmacology
Volume15
DOIs
StatePublished - 2024

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • COVID-19 and anti-viral agents
  • Coronavirus
  • TQ formula
  • Thymoquinone TQ
  • fatty acids

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pharmacology
  • Pharmacology (medical)

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Individual ingredients of NP-101 (Thymoquinone formula) inhibit SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus infection'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this