Thymoquinone enhanced the tumoricidal activity of NK Cells against Lung Cancer

Abstract

Among different immune cell populations, NK cells are an important component in unleashing the therapeutic activity of immune cells. Therefore, in order to enhance the tumoricidal activity of NK cells, identification of new small-molecule natural products is prominent. In this study, we used a natural compound Thymoquinone (TQ), a constituent of Nigella sativa to enhance the tumoricidal activity of NK cell. We expanded human NK cell (NK-92MI) population derived from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Next, expanded NK cells were co-cultured with A549, which is a non-small cell lung cancer cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell, with or without TQ and after 24h of co-cultured, harvested supernatants were analyzed for IFN-g secretions by ELISA method. This study was further validated using flow cytometry; immunofluorescence, qRT-PCR and western blot techniques. Our result showed TQ increased IFN-γ secretion by NK cells and enhanced NK cell-mediated killing of NSCLC cells. The up-regulation of pro-apoptotic (BAX, BID) and down-regulation of anti-apoptotic (BCL-2, MCL-1) makers confirmed that TQ enhanced the NK cell tumoricidal activity, which is a simple, economic and reliable method to create a new strategy to improve the treatment of NSCLC and has the potential to create a modern class of treatments for advanced lung cancer.