Ayşe Kanıcı Tarhane

Dr. Ayşe Kanıcı Tarhane


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

1Year (2026-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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Journal Article
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ATAyşe Kanıcı Tarhane
Ayşe Kanıcı Tarhane
CZCelal Tuğrul Zeyrek
Celal Tuğrul Zeyrek
STSerdal TARHANE
Serdal TARHANE
MSMurat Sert
Murat Sert
İFİbrahim Filazi
İbrahim Filazi
ÇSÇağlar Salduz
Çağlar Salduz
Black cumin (Nigella sativa L.) oil has been traditionally used to manage infectious diseases. The scientific validation of its antibacterial potential remains of significant pharmacological interest. This study evaluated the in vitro antibacterial activity of cold-pressed black cumin oil against selected bacterial strains and compared its efficacy with that of common β-lactam antibiotics, supplemented by mechanistic insight through molecular docking. Pure oil was obtained via cold-press extraction from seeds. Antibacterial activity was evaluated using the disk diffusion and broth microdilution methods against Staphylococcus aureus NCTC10788, Bacillus cereus NCTC7464, Listeria monocytogenes ATCC11994, Escherichia coli NCTC2001, and Salmonella typhimurium NCTC11994. Commercial antibiotic disks containing cloxacillin (5 µg), cefoperazone (75 µg), penicillin (40 µg), and amoxicillin (25 µg) served as a reference. Potential molecular interactions were explored by the density functional theory (DFT) optimization of thymoquinone at the B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) level, followed by molecular docking against bacterial targets. Inhibition zone diameters ranged from 13.5 ± 0.7 mm to 34 ± 2.1 mm, and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values varied between 6.7 ± 2.3 and 64 ± 0.0 µg/mL depending on the bacterial strain tested. Black cumin oil demonstrated a stronger inhibitory effect on B. cereus and L. monocytogenes than the other bacteria tested, and exhibited a significantly higher inhibitory effect than some of the antibiotics tested (p < 0.05). In contrast, no statistically significant differences were observed among treatments against E. coli (p > 0.05). Overall, Gram-positive bacteria showed greater susceptibility to black cumin oil than Gram-negative bacteria. The computational analyses demonstrated stable binding interactions supporting the experimental results. These integrative in vitro and in silico findings provide mechanistic evidence for the traditional use of black cumin oil in treating infections. The results suggest that black cumin oil could be a promising natural antibacterial candidate; however, further toxicological and pharmacokinetic evaluations are required prior to clinical use.