COVID-19 and Thymoquinone: Clinical Benefits, Cure, and Challenges

In today’s world, the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread throughout the world, causing severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and several associated complications in various organs (heart, liver, kidney, and gastrointestinal tract), as well as significant multiple organ dysfunction, shock, and even death. In order to overcome the serious complications associated with this pandemic virus and to prevent SARS-CoV-2 entry into the host cell, it is necessary to repurpose currently available drugs with a broad medicinal application as soon as they become available. There are several therapeutics under investigation for improving the overall prognosis of COVID-19 patients, but none of them has demonstrated clinical efficacy to date, which is disappointing. It is in this pattern that Nigella sativa seeds manifest their extensive therapeutic effects, which have been reported to be particularly effective in the treatment of skin diseases, jaundice, and gastrointestinal problems. One important component of these seeds is thymoquinone (TQ), which has a wide range of beneficial properties, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as antibacterial and parasitic properties, in addition to anticarcinogenic, antiallergic, and antiviral properties. This comprehensive review discussed the possibility of an emerging natural drug with a wide range of medical applications; the use of TQ to overcome the complications of COVID-19 infection; and the challenges that are impeding the commercialization of this promising phytochemical compound. TQ is recommended as a highly effective weapon in the fight against the novel coronavirus because of its dual antiviral action, in addition to its capacity to lessen the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 penetration into cells. However, future clinical trials are required to confirm the role of TQ in overcoming the complications of COVID-19 infection.