title: Silymarin and milk thistle extract may prevent the progression of diabetic nephropathy in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of silymarin and milk thistle extract on the progression of diabetic nephropathy (DN) in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Diabetes was induced with a single intraperitoneal (IP) injection of streptozotocin (STZ) (60 mg/kg). Silymarin (100 mg/kg/d) or the extract (1.2 g/kg/d) was gavaged for 4 weeks. Blood glucose (BS), serum urea (S(u)), serum creatinine (S(cr)), and 24-h urine protein (Up) were measured and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was calculated. Concentration of thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) and activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) were evaluated in the renal tissue.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data were expressed as mean +/- SEM. Silymarin or the extract had no significant effect on BS, S(cr), and GFR. Both milk thistle extract and silymarin, respectively, decreased S(u) (mg/dL) (87.1 +/- 7.78, p < 0.001; 84.5 +/- 7.15, p < 0.001), Up (mg) (5.22 +/- 1.56, p = 0.014; 5.67 +/- 0.86, p = 0.034), and tissue TBARS (nmol/mg protein) (0.67 +/- 0.04, p < 0.001; 0.63 +/- 0.07, p < 0.001) in diabetic rats, compared to diabetic control (DC) (S(u): 131.0 +/- 4.55, Up: 8.3 +/- 0.84, TBARS: 0.94 +/- 0.06). Both the extract and silymarin could increase the activity of CAT (IU/mg protein) (25.5 +/- 4.0, p = 0.005; 20 +/- 1.8, p = 0.16) and GPx (IU/mg protein) (0.86 +/- 0.05, p = 0.005; 0.74 +/- 0.04, p = 0.10), respectively, in diabetic rats compared to DC (CAT = 14.4 +/- 2.0, GPx = 0.57 +/- 0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Milk thistle extract, to a lesser extent silymarin, can attenuate DN in rats possibly by increasing kidney CAT and GPx activity and decreasing lipid peroxidation in renal tissue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Shiraz Pharmaceutical Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran. gvessal@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Ghazal
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vessal
authors.forename: Masoumeh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akmali
authors.forename: Parisa
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Najafi
authors.forename: Mahmood Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Moein
authors.forename: Mohammad Mahdi
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Sagheb
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000139:chemically induced; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018450:Disease Progression; D008297:Male; D020944:Silybum marianum; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020011:Protective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012838:Silymarin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013311:Streptozocin
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D020011:Protective Agents; D012838:Silymarin; D013311:Streptozocin