Podocyte injury, a major contributor to the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy, is caused at least in part by the excessive generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Overproduction of superoxide by the NADPH oxidase isoform Nox4 plays an important role in podocyte injury. The plant extract silymarin is attributed antioxidant and antiproteinuric effects in humans and in animal models of dia...

Silybin, a natural antioxidant, has been traditionally used against a variety of liver ailments. To investigate its effect and the underlying mechanisms of action on non-alcoholic fatty liver in rats, we used 60 4-6-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats to establish fatty liver models by feeding a high-fat diet for 6 weeks. Hepatic enzyme, serum lipid levels, oxidative production, mitochondrial mem...

The activity of silipide, a silybin-phosphatidylcholine complex (IdB 1016), was tested in different models of liver damage in rodents. After oral administration, silipide exhibited a significant and dose-related protective effect against the hepatotoxicity induced by CCl4, praseodymium, ethanol and galactosamine. The ED50 values for inhibition of the rise in ASAT and ALAT levels caused by CCl4 ...

Silybin-phosphatidylcholine is an orally bioavailable complex of silybin, a polyphenolic flavonolignan derived from milk thistle, endowed with potential anticancer activity in preclinical models. The purpose of this window of opportunity trial was to determine, for the first time in early breast cancer patients, the breast tissue distribution of silybin. Twelve breast cancer patients received s...

Retinoic acid (RA) has been effective for improving wrinkles. However, it has also been reported that RA induces skin irritation. In this study, we explored new botanical compounds that show RA-like activity, but do not induce inflammation in vitro. Keratinocytes were maintained in a confluent condition and induced differentiation. Under this condition keratinocytes were treated with many botan...

Lasalocid is an ionophore coccidiostatic agent frequently used in poultry. Its extensive use causes the formation of residues in edible tissues and eggs which may pose a risk to consumers. Silybin is the main compound extracted from the herb milk thistle Silybum marianum and its hepatoprotective effect has been reported in literature. The aim of the study was to compare lasalocid and silybin cy...

Silybin (a flavonolignan, the main component of silymarin, an extract from the seeds of Silybum marianum) has been used to date mostly as a hepatoprotectant. However, it also has other interesting activities, e.g., anticancer and hypocholesterolemic effects. It is also known that silybin can inhibit the activities of the cytochrome P450 (P450) enzymes. In this study, a weak interaction of silyb...

Liver dysfunction often is associated with an imbalance in the production and removal of free radicals derived from oxygen and nitrogen and has been managed clinically with antioxidant supplements, including silymarin extract derived from milk thistle. The potential for enhanced bioavailability of a phytosome complex containing phosphatidylcholine and silybin, the primary active flavonolignan i...

Silybin, a major constituent of the milk thistle, is used to treat several liver disorders. Silybin inactivated purified, recombinant cytochromes P450 (P450) 3A4 and 2C9 in a mechanism-based manner. The inactivations were time-, concentration-, and NADPH-dependent. The inactivation of the 7-benzyloxy-4-(trifluoromethyl-)coumarin O-debenzylation activity (P450 3A4) was characterized by a K(I) of...

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality. Oxidative stress and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), are major consequences of hepatic lipid overload, which can contribute to progression of NAFLD to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Also, mitochondria are involved in the NAFLD pathogenesis fo...