Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is a native plant of Mediterranean Sea areas. Silymarin, an extract from its seeds, is used in various liver diseases for its hepatoprotective effects. It contains silymarin flavonoids (SF) such as silybin, silydianin and silychristin. Cyclosporin A (CsA) is widely used as an immunosuppressant in organ transplantations. Its other applications in many autoimmune d...

Since arthritis induced by Mycobacterium products (adjuvant) in rats is considered to be immunologically driven, the objective of the present study was to determine if the immunosuppressor drug cyclosporin could affect hindpaw edema and joint hyperalgesia simultaneously. Female Holtzman rats (140-170 g) presented hyperalgesia and edema on the 8th and 12th day following adjuvant injection. Daily...

OBJECTIVE ABCA1 mediates cellular cholesterol and phospholipid efflux to apolipoprotein A-I and other apolipoprotein acceptors. In this study, we analyzed the effect of the immunosuppressant cyclosporin A on the ABCA1-mediated lipid effluxes reactions. METHODS AND RESULTS Cyclosporin A acted as a potent inhibitor of ABCA1 activity in several cell lines. Using the RAW264.7 mouse macrophage cel...

Post-transplant diabetes is an untoward effect often observed under immunosuppressive therapy with cyclosporin A. Besides the development of peripheral insulin resistance and a decrease in insulin gene transcription, a beta-cell toxic effect has been described. However, its molecular mechanism remains unknown. In the present study, the effect of cyclosporin A and the dual leucine-zipper-bearing...