Effect of Nigella sativa Volatile Oil on Jurkat T Cell Leukemia Polypeptides

Abstract

Nigella sativa L. Ranunclaceae is a spicy plant that has bronchodilatory, hypotensive, antibacterial and immunopotentiating activities. Its effect on intracellular signals has not been investigated. Jurkat T leukemia cells were treated with the volatile oil of N. sativa and their cellular polypeptides were analyzed using two-dimensional poly-acrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE) and silver staining. Two polypeptide spots were changed in their intensity following the treatment. The molecular weight of the protein corresponding to these spots was 24 kd. The isoelectric points were 5.3 for the acidic protein and 5.8 for the basic protein. The basic protein was decreased and the acidic protein was increased after 10 min of N. sativa volatile oil treatment. The two protein spots have a pinkish color after silver staining. Analysis of metabolically [³²P] labelled Jurkat cells did not reveal any radioactivity in the vicinity of these two proteins. Analysis of lymphoid and non-lymphoid cell lines treated with activating and differentiating agents did not reveal any changes in these two proteins. Several normal cells and neuroblastoma tumors with and without N-myc gene amplification expressed the basic protein only. Immature leukemic cells expressed the acidic protein in addition to the basic protein spot. These results suggest that the changes in these protein spots as a result of N. sativa treatment may reflect a role in its biological effect(s), perhaps, through posttranslation modification of P24 protein.