According to a review by Maryam Fallah and colleagues published in 2021 in the journal Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, silymarin is a natural extract obtained from the plant Silybum marianum (milk thistle) that contains a group of flavonolignan compounds, particularly silibinin. The authors reviewed experimental studies investigating the role of silymarin in gastrointestinal cancers such as colorectal, gastric, pancreatic, and liver cancer. Evidence from both in vitro and in vivo studies suggests that silymarin may act as a chemopreventive compound with potential anticancer activity.The review reports that silymarin can influence cancer progression by regulating cell-cycle proteins and apoptosis-related molecules, thereby promoting programmed cell death in cancer cells and reducing tumor cell survival. In addition, the compound shows anti-inflammatory and anti-metastatic properties and may help reduce cancer progression by interfering with signaling pathways involved in tumor development. The authors also suggest that silymarin and its major constituent silibinin could potentially enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy or radiotherapy while reducing treatment-related side effects in gastrointestinal cancers.PMID: 34399200PMCID: PMC8458260

According to a review by Maryam Fallah and colleagues published in 2021 in the journal Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, silymarin is a natural extract obtained from the plant Silybum marianum (milk thistle) that contains a group of flavonolignan compounds, particularly silibinin. The authors reviewed experimental studies investigating the role of silymarin in gastrointestinal cancers such as colorectal, gastric, pancreatic, and liver cancer. Evidence from both in vitro and in vivo studies suggests that silymarin may act as a chemopreventive compound with potential anticancer activity.

The review reports that silymarin can influence cancer progression by regulating cell-cycle proteins and apoptosis-related molecules, thereby promoting programmed cell death in cancer cells and reducing tumor cell survival. In addition, the compound shows anti-inflammatory and anti-metastatic properties and may help reduce cancer progression by interfering with signaling pathways involved in tumor development. The authors also suggest that silymarin and its major constituent silibinin could potentially enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy or radiotherapy while reducing treatment-related side effects in gastrointestinal cancers.

PMID: 34399200

PMCID: PMC8458260