Silymarin (SL), a mixture of flavonolignans mainly including silybin A and B, isosilybin A and B, silidianin, and silychristine from the seeds of Silybum marianum L., has been widely used to treat acute and chronic viral hepatitis, toxin/drug-induced hepatitis, cirrhosis, alcoholic fatty liver diseases and other ailments because of its excellent hepatoprotective effect. Silybin is the most acti...

Previously we have shown that perorally administered silymarin, a mixture of flavonolignans extracted from the seeds of Silybum marianum, possesses a hypocholesterolemic effect in rats fed high cholesterol diet enriched with fat. The aim of this paper was to complete the data concerning peroral and parenteral administration of silymarin. The rats fed standard laboratory diet did not respond to ...

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...

This article aims to review critically literature published mainly within this millennium on the new and emerging applications of silymarin, the polyphenolic fraction from the seeds of Silybum marianum and its main component silybin. Silymarin and silybin used so far mostly as hepatoprotectants were shown to have other interesting activities as e.g., anticancer and canceroprotective. These acti...

Silymarin and its flavonolignan isomers, silybin, isosilybin, dehydrosilybin, silychristin, silydianin, and a few flavonoids mainly taxifolin, have been subjected to a variety of antimicrobial investigations due to extensive traditional uses and low side effects. Antimicrobial activities for silymarin and active seed extracts of Silybum marianum against different bacteria, fungi, viruses and pa...

The medicinal plants are of great use in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, agricultural and food industry. The efficacy of some herbal products is beyond doubt, the most recent examples being Silybum marianum (Linn.) Gaertn (Silymarin), Artemisia annua Linn. (Artemesinin) and Taxus baccata Linn.(taxol). Randomized, controlled trials have proved the efficacy of some established remedies, for instance Zi...

Silymarin is a standardized extract from the dried seeds of the milk thistle (Silybum marianum L. Gaertn.) clinically used as an antihepatotoxic agent. The aim of this study was to investigate the antibacterial and antifungal activity of silymarin and its major constituent (silibinin) against different microbial strains and their modulatory effect on drugs utilized in clinical practice. Silymar...

Chemotherapeutic agent, busulfan, induce oxidative stress as a mechanism to kill cancer cells, however, it may also cause in non-target tissues and thereby lead normal tissue injury. Milk thistle (Silybum marianum L.) has been used for centuries herbal drug. The present study was carried out investigate the potential effects of wild Silybum seed ethanol extract (SMSEE) intervention on induced b...

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is a medicinal plant that has been used for thousands of years as a remedy for a variety of ailments. The main component of S. marianum fruit extract (silymarin) is a flavonolignan called silybin, which is not only the major silymarin element but is also the most active ingredient of this extract, which has been confirmed in various studies. This compound belongs...