title: The ameliorative effect of silibinin against radiation-induced lung injury: protection of normal tissue without decreasing therapeutic efficacy in lung cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Silibinin has been known for its role in anti-cancer and radio-protective effect. Radiation therapy for treating lung cancer might lead to late-phase pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effects of silibinin in radiation-induced lung injury with a mouse model.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, we examined the ability of silibinin to mitigate lung injury in, and improve survival of, C57BL/6 mice given 13 Gy thoracic irradiation and silibinin treatments orally at 100 mg/kg/day for seven days after irradiation. In addition, Lewis lung cancer (LLC) cells were injected intravenously in C57BL/6 mice to generate lung tumor nodules. Lung tumor-bearing mice were treated with lung radiation therapy at 13 Gy and with silibinin at a dose of 100 mg/day for seven days after irradiation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Silibinin was shown to increase mouse survival, to ameliorate radiation-induced hemorrhage, inflammation and fibrosis in lung tissue, to reduce the number of inflammatory cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and to reduce inflammatory cell infiltration in the respiratory tract. In LLC tumor injected mice, lung tissue from mice treated with both radiation and silibinin showed no differences compared to lung tissue from mice treated with radiation alone.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Silibinin treatment mitigated the radiation-induced lung injury possibly by reducing inflammation and fibrosis, which might be related with the improved survival rate. Silibinin might be a useful agent for lung cancer patients as a non-toxic complementary approach to alleviate the side effects by thorax irradiation.
authors.affiliation: Dongnam Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences (DIRAMS), Busasn, South Korea. son-young-hun@hanmail.net.
authors.forename: Yeonghoon
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Son
authors.affiliation: Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Science (KIRAMS), Seoul, South Korea. hjlee@kirams.re.kr.
authors.forename: Hae June
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonology and Critical Care Medicine; Asan Institute for Life Sciences, Seoul, South Korea. jkrho@amc.seoul.kr.
authors.forename: Jin Kyung
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Rho
authors.affiliation: Dongnam Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences (DIRAMS), Busasn, South Korea. pioexe@dirams.re.kr.
authors.forename: Soo Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Dongnam Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences (DIRAMS), Busasn, South Korea. cglee@dirams.re.kr.
authors.forename: Chang Geun
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Dongnam Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences (DIRAMS), Busasn, South Korea. kmyang@dirmas.re.kr.
authors.forename: Kwangmo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Chonnam National University, 500-757, , 77 Yongbong-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju, South Korea. shokim@chonnam.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Sung Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea. vetmedic@knu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Minyoung
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Chonnam National University, 500-757, , 77 Yongbong-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju, South Korea. dvmmk79@gmail.com.
authors.forename: In Sik
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Dongnam Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences (DIRAMS), Busasn, South Korea. jskim@dirams.re.kr.|College of Veterinary Medicine, Chonnam National University, 500-757, , 77 Yongbong-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju, South Korea. jskim@dirams.re.kr.
authors.forename: Joong Sun
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D055371:Acute Lung Injury / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D020944:Silybum marianum; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental; D011833:Radiation Injuries, Experimental / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000077385:Silybin; D012838:Silymarin / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D012838:Silymarin; D000077385:Silybin