Herbal medicines are commonly used for the treatment/management of COVID-19-related illnesses. Nigella sativa L. (black cumin) and its oil commonly referred to as black seed oil (black cumin seed oil) are used as a promising natural therapy for various ailments. The present study aims to scientifically validate the black seed oil therapeutic efficacy by developing a novel drug delivery system for the management of respiratory inflammation. This research will pave the way for further exploration of the pharmacological properties of black seed oil and it will be investigated thoroughly for its potential use as a novel therapeutic agent for the management of respiratory and related ailments. In-silico pharmacophore modeling employed in this study would be helpful to predict the therapeutic efficacy of the developed formulation. This research will be helpful to find a suitable carrier and pharmaceutical dosage form for black seed oil with assured loading to treat various ailments. These scientific evidences will definitely contribute to feasible, sustainable and effective intellectual reports for the development of future collaboration with the pharmaceutical industries in the country.
Major Objectives: (i) To develop and optimize a pharmaceutical formulation (Drug Delivery System) incorporating black cumin seed oil (ii) To study the in-vitro/in-vivo pharmaceutical characteristics of the optimized formulation.
Research Team:
Dr. Dhanalekshmi UM, Dr. Alka Ahuja, Dr. Shah Alam Khan
Dr. Abdul Salam Nazmi, Dr. Khalid Al Balushi, Ms. Muna Al Dalali