Thymoquinone Augments Cisplatin-Induced Apoptosis on Esophageal Carcinoma Through Mitigating the Activation of JAK2/STAT3 Pathway
Authors: Xue Hu
Jiao Li
Vikash Vikash
Dandan Wu
Ya Liu
Jingjing Ma
Weiguo Dong
Jixiang Zhang
Journal: Digestive Diseases and Sciences (2018)
Discipline: CLINICAL MEDICINE
Keywords: Apoptosis; Esophageal carcinoma; STAT3; Thymoquinone; WP1066.
Affiliations: Department of Gastroenterology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, No. 99 Zhang Zhi-dong Road, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei Province, People's Republic of China., Key Laboratory of Hubei Province for Digestive System Disease, Wuhan, Hubei Province, People's Republic of China., Department of Gastroenterology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, No. 99 Zhang Zhi-dong Road, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei Province, People's Republic of China. .

Abstract:  Background: Thymoquinone (TQ) is the major constituent of Nigella sativa seed and has shown biological activity in various human carcinomas. However, few studies have reported its effect on esophageal carcinoma (EC). Aims: To explore the chemosensitive effect and mechanism of TQ in augmentation of cisplatin (DDP)-induced apoptosis of EC, both in vitro and in vivo. Methods: The viability and apoptosis of esophageal carcinoma cells were detected by the Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, flow cytometry, and Hoechst 33258 staining. The expression levels of JAK2, p-JAK2, STAT3, p-STAT3, Bax, Bcl-2, Cyclin D1, Survivin, and caspase-3, 7, 9 were evaluated by western blot analysis. The histological changes were examined by TUNEL technique and immunohistochemical analysis. Results: TQ enhanced the proapoptotic effect of DDP in human esophageal carcinoma cell line Eca-109, while blocking the activation of JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. The apoptosis of esophageal carcinoma cells was induced via blocking the activation of JAK2/STAT3 by using a molecular inhibitor (WP1066). Consistent with the in vivo and in vitro results, TQ increased cellular apoptosis and enriched the chemosensitivity of DDP. Conclusions: TQ along with DDP may regulate the progression of EC and has potential to be a chemotherapeutic agent in EC. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
 While one can certainly empathize with the emotion of the author(s), is this personal account (including photos) of potting plants, bugs and food recipes appropriate for an academic and scholarly journal? It would seem that such content would be more appropriate for a blog rather than a serious academic journal. Considering that this paper is listed published as an u201carticleu201d, i.e., original research, absent any data, I would be curious to know who the peer reviewers might have been for this paper [1]. Incidentally, a correction was just published (May 15), which states u201cIn the original publication, the number of deaths due to Covid-19 in Italy was incorrectly written as u201c15,35u201d. It should be corrected to  15,915 . The original article has been corrected.u201d [2]. The correction seems irrelevant, given that Italy has now suffered 31,610 deaths [3]. [1] https: doi.org 10.1007 s10745-020-00147-3 [2] https: link.springer.com article 10.1007 s10745-020-00157-1 [3] https: coronavirus.jhu.edu map.html ,