Liposomal thymoquinone, a novel drug formulation: Hope for lung cancer treatment

摘要

Lung cancer is ranked second in the occurrence of cancer after breast cancer and first leading cause of cancer-related death globally. According to GLOBOCAN 2020, more than 2.2 million cases of lung cancer were registered, making up to 18% of total cancer deaths in the year 2020 worldwide. The continuous increase in the incidence of lung cancer has also been reported in Saudi Arabia, as it was placed 7 th and 5 th in total cancer cases and mortality, respectively. [1] As evident from several studies, the incessant upsurge in the consumption of tobacco among males and females in the countries such as India, China, and Saudi Arabia is the major source in the prevalence of lung cancer. [2,3] Several studies revealed that the smokers have 20-fold higher risk in comparison to non-smokers, and 90% of lung cancer cases are reported due to the exposure of tobacco. Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), a polycyclic hydrocarbon found in tobacco smoke, is one of the leading causes in the etiology of lung cancer. [4,5] The BaP makes the DNA adduct formation followed by the promotion and progression of cancer after metabolically activated into 7,8-diol-9, 10-epoxide reacting with DNA primarily. [6] Therefore, the BaP has been used in all three stages (initiation, promotion, and progression) of the lung cancer model in laboratory animals.