title: Renal injury, nephrolithiasis and Nigella sativa: A mini review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The incidence and prevalence of kidney stone is increasing worldwide. After the first recurrence the risk of subsequent relapses is higher and the time period between relapses is shortened. Urinary stones can be severely painful and make a huge economic burden. The stone disease may increase the vulnerability of patients to other diseases such as renal failure. Medicinal herbs are rich sources of antioxidants which are increasingly consumed globally for their safety, efficacy and low price. Nigella sativa is a spice plant that is widely used for prevention and treatment of many ailments in Muslim countries and worldwide. This review aims at investigation of the effects of Nigella sativa on renal injury and stone formation.
  
  
  METHODS
  The scientific resources including PubMed, Scopus, and Google scholar were searched using key words such as: nephrolithiasis, urolithiasis, kidney/renal stone, renal injury, renal failure, urinary retention and black seed, black cumin, Nigella sativa and thymoquinone.
  
  
  RESULTS
  N. sativa and its main component, thymoquinone showed positive effects in prevention or curing kidney stones and renal failure through various mechanism such as antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-eicosanoid and immunomodulatory effects. The putative candidate in many cases has been claimed to be thymoquinone but it seems that at least in part, particularly in kidney stones, the herbal melanin plays a role which requires further investigation to prove.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  N. sativa and its components are beneficial in prevention and curing of renal diseases including nephrolithiasis and renal damages.
authors.affiliation: Neurocognitive research center & department of physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Parichehr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hayatdavoudi
authors.affiliation: Neurogenic inflammation research center & department of physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Abolfazl
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khajavi Rad
authors.affiliation: Department of physiology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Ziba
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Rajaei
authors.affiliation: Neurocognitive research center & department of physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Mousa Al-Reza
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hadjzadeh
keywords: Herbal melanin; Nephrolithiasis; Nigella sativa L; Rena failure; Thymoquinone