# Pro-Health Potential of Selected Uncommon Oilseed Plants
## 3 Pro-Health Potential of Selected Uncommon Oilseed Plants
### Nigella sativa L.
#### 3.3.1 Anti-Inflammatory Activity  
The properties of black cumin connected with anti-inflammatory actions are a significant issue in research. Studies from the last five years provide information on the effect of black cumin on the levels of inflammatory markers in various diseases. One of the topics that is gaining more attention is the impact of black cumin on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In a randomized, double-blind controlled trial, the effect of 10 days of supplementation with different doses of black cumin seed on selected inflammatory markers (e.g., ferritin, C-reactive protein, white blood cells) in patients with mild COVID-19 was studied. However, there were no significant differences in inflammatory markers between groups after the end of the intervention. The authors suggest that the effects of _N. sativa_ as a natural remedy may require a longer time to manifest [80]. In patients with schizophrenia, a four-week intervention consisting of receiving 1000 mg of black cumin daily reduced IL-6 levels 2.5 times faster than in the control group [81]. According to the available literature, black seed oil supplementation may reduce serum CRP levels in dialysis patients [82; 83]. In overweight/obese women, supplementation of 2000 mg of nigella sativa oil reduced mRNA expressions and serum levels of IL-1\(\beta\) (interleukin-1 beta) and IL-6 [84]. In vitro studies using LPS-activated Raw 264.7 cells showed that black cumin seed extract significantly restrained the production of several pro-inflammatory mediators, i.e., prostaglandin E\({}_{2}\) (PGE\({}_{2}\)), NO, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1),  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Plant**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Fatty Acids**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Other Biological**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**References**} \\ \hline \multirow{8}{*}{_Carthumus tinctorins_ L.} & - & Linoleic acid (40-80\%) & - & Flavonoids (quinonachcones, C-glycos, & \\  & - & Oleic acid (20-50\%) & & O-glycos, kaempfer derivatives) & \\  & - & Palmitic acid (6–10\%) & - & Alkaloids & [8; 9; 10; 23] \\  & - & Stearic acid (2–3\%) & - & Organic acids & \\  & & - & Polyacetylenes & \\  & & - & Polysaccharides & \\  & - & Alpha-linolenic acid (40\%) & - & Tocpherols \\  & - & Oleic acid (14–16\%) & - & Phytosterols \\  & - & Linoleic acid (15–23\%) & - & Carotenoids & \\  & - & Eicosenoic acid (12–15\%) & - & Polytphenols & [54; 55; 56; 57; 59; 63] \\  & - & Palmitic acid, stearic acid (approx. 10\%) & - & Vitamin C & \\  & - & & Glucosinaldes (glucoarabinin, & \\  & & & glucoacemline, homoglucameline) & \\  & & & - & Terpenes and terpenoids (thymoquinone, & \\  & & carvacrol, 4-terpineol, \(\alpha\)-pinene, thymol, & \\  & & p-cymene) & \\  & - & Thylosterols (B-sitosterol) & \\  & - & Polyphenylols (quercetin, kaempfer, & \\  & - & derulic acid, chlorogenic acid) & [75; 77; 78; 79] \\  & & - & Alkaloids (nigellicimine, & \\  & & nigellicimine-N-oxide, nigellidine, & \\  & & nigellicimine & \\  & & - & Tocopherolols & \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}
Table 2: Summary of the chemical composition of _Carthumus tinctorius_ L., _Camelina sativ_ L., and _Nigella sativa_ L. based on the collected data.  
cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), inducible tumor necrosis factor-\(\alpha\) (TNF-\(\alpha\)), NO synthase (iNOS), interleukin-1 beta, and IL-6. Moreover, black cumin extract inhibited the phosphorylation of NF-kB, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells, and the activation of MAPKs, mitogen-activated protein kinases [85].