Paper Title
Effect of Nigella Sativa Oil and Thymoquinone on Albuminuria and Renal Extracellular Matrix Accumulation in Experimental Diabetic Rats

Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that nigella sativa oil (NSO) and its principal bioactive constituents, thymoquinone (TQ), exhibit antioxidant, antihyperglycemic and renoprotective effects in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes in rats. However, the potential molecular mechanisms by which NSO and TQ may exert their actions in the diabetic kidney are still poorly characterized. In an attempt to define these mechanisms, this study was designed to investigate the effect of NSO and TQ treatment on the albuminuria, podocyte injury and the complex systems controlling the extracellular matrix accumulation in the STZ-induced model of diabetic nephropathy.