Silymarin (milk thistle extract) as a therapeutic agent in gastrointestinal cancer

Abstract

Silymarin contains a group of closely-related flavonolignan compounds including silibinin, and is extracted from Silybum marianum species, also called milk thistle. Silymarin has been shown to protect the liver in both experimental models and clinical studies. The chemopreventive activity of silymarin has shown some efficacy against cancer both in vitro and in vivo. Silymarin can modulate apoptosis in vitro and survival in vivo, by interfering with the expression of cell cycle regulators and apoptosis-associated proteins. In addition to its anti-metastatic activity, silymarin has also been reported to exhibit anti-inflammatory activity. The chemoprotective effects of silymarin and silibinin (its major constituent) suggest they could be applied to reduce the side effects and increase the anti-cancer effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in various cancer types, especially in gastrointestinal cancers. This review examines the recent studies and summarizes the mechanistic pathways and down-stream targets of silymarin in the therapy of gastrointestinal cancer.

Isolation and Characterization of a Flavonoid and a Neolignan from Silybum marianum: In‐vitro Cytotoxic Evaluation

“…Recent studies suggested the use of silymarin as a chemopreventive and chemosentizing agent in various cancers [22] . The cytotoxicity of the isolated compounds was assessed using SRB assay.…”

“…Recent studies suggested the use of silymarin as a chemopreventive and chemosentizing agent in various cancers. [22] The cytotoxicity of the isolated compounds was assessed using SRB assay. Different concentrations of these compounds were used to treat cancerous (HeLa, HepG2) and normal (BHK) cells including 0, 40, 80, 120, 160 and 200 μg/mL for 24 hours.…”

The Beneficial Additive Effect of Silymarin in Metformin Therapy of Liver Steatosis in a Pre-Diabetic Model

“…Nr1h nuclear receptors affect the expression of Srebp1 and Pparγ and the cholesterol transporters G5 and G8 [73] (Figures 4B and 5). chemical-induced health benefits of SM than the direct scavenging of free radicals [75].…”

“…However, even these low concentrations seem to be sufficient for Nrf2 activation and NF-κB-related pathway suppression. Indeed, these mechanisms may be more important in driving the phytochemical-induced health benefits of SM than the direct scavenging of free radicals [75].…”

Enhanced Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Silibinin and Capsaicin Combination in Lipopolysaccharide-Induced RAW264.7 Cells by Inhibiting NF-κB and MAPK Activation

“…Silibinin, the major active constituent of Silybum marianum , is one kind of polyphenolic flavonoid that has been used as medicine for a long time and is well known for its hepatoprotective and anti-carcinogenic effects ( Hussain et al, 2020 ; Fallah et al, 2021 ). Moreover, silibinin, has been reported to have effective anti-inflammatory effects ( Chen et al, 2020 ).…”