Articles
REVIEW ARTICLE
Chronic Liver Disease and Silymarin: A Biochemical and Clinical Review
Sean P. Tighe1, Daud Akhtar2, Umair Iqbal*,3 and Aijaz Ahmed4
1 Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
2 Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
3 Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Danville, PA, USA
4 Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
*Correspondence to: Umair Iqbal, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Danville, PA 17821, USA. Tel: +1-570-271-6211, E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Journal of Clinical and Translational Hepatology 2020;8(4):454-458 DOI: 10.14218/JCTH.2020.00012
Received: February 27, 2020 Accepted: September 8, 2020 Published online: October 16, 2020
Abstract
Chronic liver disease (CLD) is an under-recognized epidemic that continues to increase in prevalence and is a major health concern. Silymarin, the active compound of Silybum marianum (Milk thistle), has historically been used in CLD. A significant barrier to silymarin use is its poor bioavailability. Attempts at improving the bioavailability of silymarin have led to a better understanding of formulation methods, pharmacokinetics, dosing, and associated drug interactions. Clinically, silymarin exerts its hepatoprotective effects through antioxidative, antifibrotic, anti-inflammatory, antitoxin, and anticancerous mechanisms of actions. Despite the use of silymarin being extensively studied in alcoholic liver disease, metabolic-associated fatty liver disease, viral hepatitis, and drug-induced liver injury, the overall efficacy of silymarin remains unclear and more research is warranted to better elucidate the role of silymarin in CLD, specifically regarding its anti-inflammatory effects. Here, we review the current biochemical and clinical evidence regarding silymarin in CLD.
Keywords
Silymarin, Chronic liver disease, Silybum marianum, MAFLD, ALD, Pharmacokinetics
Journal of Clinical and Translational Hepatology 2020 vol. 8, 454-458 [ Html ] [ PDF Full-text ]
© The Authors 2020. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial License (CC BY-NC 4.0), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non commercial and is otherwise in compliance with the license.
