title: Liver protection by silymarin: in vitro effect on dissociated rat hepatocytes.
abstract: The liver-protective effects of silymarin have been investigated in isolated hepatocytes suspended in vitro in sucrose solutions of graded hypotonicity. Cells preincubated with the drug at the concentration of 10(-4) M were found to be entirely resistant or relatively little affected when exposed to hypotonic solutions which have a lethal effect on a considerable proportion of the control liver cells, as shown by the determination in the cell preparations (1) of the proportion trypan blue-positive (broken) cells, (2) of the protein synthesizing capacity. The protection was reduced but not abolished upon removal of the drug and cell washing. A smaller effect was observed with a drug concentration of 10(-5) M. At 10(-6) M the effect was no longer detectable. Chlorpromazine, a drug which belongs to the group of the so called "unspecific membrane stabilizers", was without effect in this test.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002746:Chlorpromazine / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007038:Hypotonic Solutions; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007930:Leucine / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D009996:Osmotic Fragility / Q000187:drug effects; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D012838:Silymarin / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D005419:Flavonoids; D007038:Hypotonic Solutions; D012838:Silymarin; D007930:Leucine; D002746:Chlorpromazine