The aim of this project is to determine the anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative effects of thymoquinone (TQ), the major extract of Blackseed. The anti-inflammatory effects of the drug will be tested in vitro by determinng the effect it has on the level of inflammatory and immune mediators such as the pro-inflammatory, inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines and eicosanoids. The anti-proliferative effects of TQ will be determined in the colon of mice by studying the ability of the drug to delay the appearance and small_titleuce the multiplicity of tumors induced chemically by potent carcinogens. This project also aims at determining the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which the drug extracts exerts its chemopreventive effects using colon cancer cell lines. The effects of TQ from Blackseed on the growth and proliferation of tumorigenic cell lines as well as their ability to induce apoptosis and affect cell cycle phase distribution and intracellular transduction pathways will be investigated.