Single one-off dose of Nigella Sativa does not attenuate indirect markers of exercise-induced muscle damage as a model of inflammation

Introduction Nigella sativa (NS) is widely known to have anti-inflammatory effects on various inflammation models; however, there are no known NS studies that include EIMD as a model of inflammation. This study aimed to investigate the effects of NS on EIMD as a model of inflammation. Material and Methods A total of 33 youth football athletes were assigned to three groups (i.e., NS3000, NS1500, and the control). All groups performed 10 sets of 10 repetitions of CMJ (with a 30-s intermittent rest between sets) by adopting a squat stance in starting and landing positions to induce muscle damage. Immediately after the exercise, they were administered a single dose of either 3000 mg or 1500 mg of NS or a placebo. A set of tests was conducted to measure muscular power, soreness, tenderness, thigh circumference, ROM, serum CK, and LDH at pre-exercise, 30 min, 1 d, 2 d, 3 d, and 4 d post-exercise. Results Changes in these variables over time were compared by a mixed factorial ANOVA. As expected, exercise decreased muscular power and ROM (30 min to 1 d postexercise) (P < 0.05) and increased soreness, tenderness, thigh circumference, CK, and LDH (30 min to 1 d postexercise) (P < 0.05). However, no significant interaction was observed between all measured parameters in three different groups for the measurement sessions (P > 0.05). Discussions and Conclusion The obtained results suggested that the CMJ protocol used in this study was sufficient to induce muscle damage. Thus,EIMD can be used as a model of inflammation; however, a single one-off intake of NS does not attenuate the indirect markers of EIMD. The effective dosage of NS to increase the recovery speed was not determined.