Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Mar;16(3):287-90.

Effects of silybum marianum on patients with chronic hepatitis C

Hamid Kalantari  1 , Zahra Shahshahan, Sayed Mehdi Hejazi, Taghi Ghafghazi, Vahid Sebghatolahi
Affiliations

Effects of silybum marianum on patients with chronic hepatitis C

Hamid Kalantari et al. J Res Med Sci. 2011 Mar.

Abstract

Background: Silymarin derived from silybum marianum (milk thistle), a flowering member of the daisy family, may benefit liver function in people infected with the hepatitis C virus. The aims of this pilot study were to assess the efficacy and safety of silymarin on serum hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA, serum aminotransferases (ALT, AST) levels, liver fibrosis and well-being in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC).

Methods: This prospective self-controlled trial study was conducted from March to September 2006 at Department of Gastroenterology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. 55 patients with HCV (10 female and 45 male) with a mean age of 31.8 ± 6.4 years (10-67 years) were participated in the study. Patients received 24 weeks of silymarin (630 mg/day). Baseline virological biochemical, liver fibrosis (by a serum fibrosis markers, including YKL-40 and Hyaluronic acid), and SF-36 questionnaire were performed with biochemical tests repeated at the end of the treatment period.

Results: There was statistically difference in mean of ALT (108.7 ± 86.6 vs 70.3 ± 57.7) before and after the treatment (p < 0.001). The means of AST were 99.4 ± 139.7 and 59.7 ± 64.32 before and after the treatment with statistically differences (p = 0.004). After the treatment, nine patients were found with negative HCV-RNA (p = 0.004) and statistically significant improvement in results of liver fibrosis markers were found only in fibrosis group (p = 0.015). Quality of life was improved significantly (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: This study indicated that in patients with CHC performing silymarin (650 mg/day) for 6 months, improved serum HCV-RNA titer, serum aminotransferases (ALT, AST), hepatic fibrosis and patient's quality of life. More future studies are warranted.

Keywords: Hepatitis C Virus (HCV); Quality of life; Serum Aminotransferases.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interests Authors have no conflict of interests.

References

    1. Kalantari H, Kazemi F, Minakari M. Efficacy of triple therapy with interferon alpha-2b, ribavirin and amantadine in the treatment of naïve patients with chronic hepatitis C. J Res Med Sci. 2007;12(4):178–85.
    1. Kalantari H, Rad N. Efficacy of Interferon alpha-2b with or without Ribavirin in thalassemia major patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection: a randomized, doubleblind, controlled, parallel group trial. J Res Med Sci. 2010;15(6):310–6. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Luper S. A review of plants used in the treatment of liver disease: part 1. Altern Med Rev. 1998;3(6):410–21. - PubMed
    1. Mayer KE, Myers RP, Lee SS. Silymarin treatment of viral hepatitis: a systematic review. J Viral Hepat. 2005;12(6):559–67. - PubMed
    1. Salmi HA, Sarna S. Effect of silymarin on chemical, functional, and morphological alterations of the liver.A double-blind controlled study. Scand J Gastroenterol. 1982;17(4):517–21. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources