Effects of thymoquinone, lycopene, and selenium in the presence of estrogen on the viability, biochemical markers and morphology of SiHa cells in vitro

Cervical cancer is a problem not only in the United States, but worldwide. Even though statistical rates of cervical cancer is decreasing in the United States, the incidence worldwide is not changing. Specific ethnic groups, lower socioeconomic income populations and areas with high incidences of sexually transmitted diseases still have a stable or increasing incidence of cervical cancer even in the United States. The increase in cervical cancer mirrors the increased rate of human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted disease and a known precursor of cervical cancer.;Antioxidants have been studied in relation to cardiovascular diseases, the aging process and cancers. This study investigated the antioxidants thymoquinone, selenium, and lycopene on SiHa, a cervical cancer cell line preinfected with human papillomavirus. The hypothesis was that the combination of thymoquinone, selenium, and lycopene would have a detrimental effect on the viability, biochemical analysis, and morphology of SiHa cells.;The specific aims were (1) to study the effect of estrogen at different concentrations by conventional delivery vs. sustained delivery on the viability and behavior of SiHa cell line, (2) to establish the role of selenium, lycopene and thymoquinone on SiHa cells in the presence of, or in the absence of estrogen, (3) to determine if a combination of estrogen, lycopene, selenium, and/or thymoquinone are more effective in slowing the proliferation of SiHa cells then when used alone either with conventional delivery or drug delivery systems, (4) to evaluate the expression of epidermal growth factor in SiHa cells.;Results indicated that Estrogen 10 pg was the optimal dose of estrogen to use with these cells. In the study of the antioxidants, selenium alone appeared to be chemoprotective, but when used in combination with estrogen, lycopene and TQ caused cellular damage as evidenced by decreased proliferation rate, increased glutathione levels, and increased MDA levels.