Preclinical Evidence-based Neuroprotective Potential of Silibinin

Abstract

Neurodegeneration is an elucidating feature of many neuronal disorders including Alz- heimer's, disease, Parkinson's disease, and cerebral ischemia. These neurodegenerative disorders are a major public health concern with high mortality and morbidity rates around the world. Pres- ently, researchers have concentrated their efforts on determining the neuroprotective activity of natural products for the management of neurological manifestation associated with neurodegener- ation or aging. Silibinin, an active component of the plant Silybum marianum (family: Asteraceae) was used for the treatment of liver diseases from ancient times. Recently several preclinical stud- ies provide supportive evidence for the neuroprotective activity of silibinin in experimental ani- mals. Besides its antioxidant effect, silibinin exhibits neuroprotective activities by altering several cellular and molecular signaling pathways like BDNF, ER/PI3/Akt, NfκB, JNK, IR & IGF-IR, mTOR, and many more against brain-related neurotoxicity. This review provided a comprehen- sive summary of the chemistry, pharmacokinetics, side effects, and pharmacological effects of silibinin against various neurodegenerative disorders with a prominent cellular and molecular mechanism. The literature reviews and preclinical studies demonstrated that silibinin could be an alternate candidate for the management of neurodegenerative disorders. Thus, there is a scope for further preclinical and clinical research to introduce this phytoconstituent as a therapeutic alterna- tive candidate.

Keywords: Silybum marianum; alzheimer’s disease; neuroprotection; neurotoxicity; parkinson’s disease; silibinin.