title: Preparation and effects of 2,3-dehydrosilymarin, a promising and potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Silymarin or silybin has been effectively used for treating liver diseases and acute liver injury partly due to its antioxidant activity. In this study, 2,3-dehydrosilymarin, a compound exhibiting remarkable antiradical/antioxidant activity, was prepared from silymarin for the first time. The solubility, radical scavenging capacity and liver protecting activity of 2,3-dehydrosilymarin were studied and compared with silybin, dehydrosilybin and silymarin.
  
  
  METHODS
  The structures of its main components were verified by ultra-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) and other spectral analysis. In addition, a rapid screening method, online high-performance liquid chromatography/1,1-dipheny1-2-picrylhydrazyl (HPLC-DPPH) system, was developed for identifying the individual antioxidants in 2,3-dehydrosilymarin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both in-vitro and in-vivo results markedly proved that dehydrosilymarin has decent aqueous solubility and remarkable antiradical/antioxidation capacity. Moreover, 2,3-dehydrosilybin and 2,3-dehydrosilychristin were identified to be the two major active compounds contained in 2,3-dehydrosilymarin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that 2,3-dehydrosilymarin may be a promising and potent alternative for inhibition of free radical and prevention of oxidation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China.
authors.forename: Shanshan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.forename: Chang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xizhe
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Ximing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Jiangnan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005609:Free Radicals / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D051379:Mice; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction / Q000187:drug effects; D000077385:Silybin; D012838:Silymarin / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D012995:Solubility
chemical_list: D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D005609:Free Radicals; D012838:Silymarin; C515097:dehydrosilybin; D000077385:Silybin; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride