مجله غدد درون ریز و متابولیسم ایران
سال دهم شماره 6 (پیاپی 42، اسفند 1388)

The extract of the seeds of Nigella sativa (Ns) has been used therapeutically for centuries as a safe herbal medicine, and has been reported to have beneficial effects in the treatment of diabetic osteopenia and bone healing in animal models. In the present study, we examined the effect of Ns seed oil extract on biochemical bone markers in osteopenic postmenopausal women.

In a placebo controlled clinical trial, 30 osteopenic postmenopausal women, aged 49-72 years, were randomized to either 3-month Ns (oil) treatment (3cc, 0.05 cc/kg/day p.o.) or placebo groups. In all subjects, calcium-D supplements (1 tab per day) were administered during the 3 month study period. At baseline and after 3 months CBC diff, liver and kidney function tests, and serum levels of calcium and phosphate and plasma levels of bone markers (including CTX,Osteocalcin and Bone-ALP) were measured.

Twenty-two participants completed the 3 month study period (9 in the Ns group and 13 in the placebo group). Women in the placebo group had relatively higher BMI in comparison with those in the Ns group. Other characteristics and bone markers levels were similar between two groups at the baseline. Plasma levels of bone markers including CTX, Osteocalcin and Bone ALP did not differ significantly between the Ns and placebo groups at the end of the 3 months neither did changes in bone markers over the course of study show statistically significant differences between the two groups.

Although Ns oil was safe, no reports of adverse reactions were observed in this study, we found no beneficial effect of Ns treatment on bone turnover markers. Based on our results, we do not recommend it for the prevention or treatment of bone loss. However this needs to be further investigated in the long-term clinical trials and with larger sample sizes.

Many studies have shown uncontrolled brain edema to be the cause of disabilities and deaths following head trauma. Current data also suggests that a single administration of estrogen or progesterone can have neuroprotective effects on brain injury. In this study we investigated the combined effect of estrogen and progesterone on brain edema and neurological outcomes following traumatic brain injury (TBI) in female rats.

This interventional-�experimental study was performed on 8 groups of female rats as follows: 1- control, 2-Sham, 3-Ovarectomized trauma (TBI+OVX) 4-Vehicle 5-Physiologic dose of estrogen + physiologic dose of progesterone (E1+P1), 6- physiologic dose of estrogen+pharmacologic dose of progesterone (E1+P2) 7-Pharmacologic dose of estrogen+physiologic dose of progesterone (E2+P1) and 8-Pharmacologic dose of estrogen+pharmacologic dose of progesterone (E2+P2). Hormones were injected i.p, half an hour after diffuse traumatic brain injury through marmarou model to 2 week old ovarectomized rats. Brain edema (via brain water content), blood-brain barrier permeability (via extravascular evans blue dye) and neurological outcome (via veterinary coma scale) were measured in this animals.

The results showed significance decreases of 2.68% and 2.88% in water content in group 8 compared to the vehicle group and group 6 respectively and a significant decrease of 2.29% in water content in group 5 compared to group 6. Evans blue level showed significant decreases of 14.7% and 21.1% in groups 6 and 7 compared to the vehicle group. Neurological scores showed a significant increases of 2.5 and 2 in group 5 compared to the vehicle group and group 3, 1 hour after TBI respectively a significant increase was seen in all groups compared to group 3 at 4 and 24 hours after TBI. Scores showed a significant increase of 1.2 in groups 7 and 8 compared to the vehicle group at 24 hours following the TBI.

Based on these results, it can be concluded that combined administration of estrogen and progesterone have benefical effects on both the reduction of brain edema and the neurological outcomes, the improvement depending on what dose of estrogen is administered with progesterone.