Nigella sativa oil modulates the therapeutic efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells against liver injury in irradiated rats

Stem cell transplantation is a novel strategy for regenerative medicine in liver disease. This study was conducted to explore the modulatory effect of Nigella sativa oil (NSO) on the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) against irradiation-induced liver damage in rats. Liver damage was induced by a total body exposure to a single dose of 7 Gy. NSO (2 mg/kg/day) was then given orally for 4 consecutive weeks starting 24 h after irradiation with or without a single intravenous MSCs administration, then rats were sacrificed four weeks after exposure to gamma radiation. Data revealed that irradiation elevated aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities in serum, increased hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) content and reduced hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Furthermore, it caused elevation in pro-inflammatory mediators such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) associated with reduction in anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10) and it increased fibrogenic marker transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) in liver tissues. It was observed that combined NSO/MSCs therapy provided more beneficial tissue repair comparable to MSCs alone as demonstrated by modulating the tested parameters. Finally, these results were confirmed by histopathological examination. In conclusion, dual therapy with NSO and MSCs could serve as a promising approach for alleviating radiation-induced liver injury in patients with radiotherapy.