Effects of thymoquinone, lycopene, and selenomethione in the presence of estrogen on the viability of SiHa cells in vitro.

This study investigated the antioxidants thymoquinone, selenomethione and lycopene on SiHa, a cervical cancer cell line preinfected with human papillomavirus. The hypothesis was that the combination of thymoquinone, selenomethione, and lycopene would have a detrimental effect on the viability, and biochemical analysis of SiHa cells. The specific aims were to establish the role of selenomethione, lycopene and thymoquinone on SiHa cells in the presence of, or in the absence of estrogen, and to determine if a combination of estrogen, lycopene, selenomethione, and/or thymoquinone are more effective in slowing the proliferation of SiHa cells then when used alone. Results indicated that selenomethione 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.