Silybin and its congeners: from traditional medicine to molecular effects

Abstract

Recent developments in chemistry, biosynthesis, analytical methods, and transformations of flavonolignans from silymarin are presented. Their pharmacology, biological activities, SAR and safety with special attention to the chirality are discussed.

Simple phenylpropanoids: recent advances in biological activities, biosynthetic pathways, and microbial production

“…59 Silybin, a flavonolignan, exerts a therapeutic effect on hepatic disease. 60 Icaritin is extracted from the Chinese Herba Epimedii and has been developed as a clinical drug for the treatment of liver cancer in China. Icaritin shows anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects.…”

In vitro effects of undifferentiated callus extracts from Plantago major L, Rhodiola rosea L and Silybum marianum L in normal and malignant human skin cells

“…We have chosen to target undifferentiated callus cells, since we were interested in their overall chemical profiles and activity when studied in vitro . The plants selected are all rich in flavonoids and are widely used in folk medicine around the world; and among other health benefits, they have been reported to possess anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties [ [21] , [22] , [23] , [24] , [25] , [26] , [27] ]. Silibinin, which is the main active component in S. marianum , is well investigated [ 28 ], while the other plant extracts in this study have been less studied in human skin cancer cell lines.…”

Silibinin Suppresses the Hyperlipidemic Effects of the ALK-Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Lorlatinib in Hepatic Cells

“…First, using non-targeted lipidomics comprising ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography accurate-mass quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization (UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS) [ 18 ], and imaging of neutral lipids, we explored the ability of lorlatinib to alter the lipidome of hepatoma tissue-derived Huh-7 and HepG2 cells [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ], which were employed as substitutes for primary hepatocytes. Second, we investigated whether silibinin––a flavonolignan that functions as a hepatoprotectant in patients with acute and chronic liver injury [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]––might prevent the lipid-modifying activity of lorlatinib in hepatocytes. To predict potentially relevant drug–drug interactions if silibinin were used to clinically manage lorlatinib-associated hyperlipidemia, we finally explored the capacity of silibinin to interact with and block CYP3A4 activity in comparison with currently employed statins.…”