Abstract
Silymarin is a complex of plant-derived compounds obtained from the seed shells of the milk thistle (Silybum marianum). It is used in medicine primarily to protect the liver. The mixture contains mainly flavonolignans, with silybin as a paramount bioactive component of the extract. This article presents the potential health benefits for silymarin as an antifungal drug against five references strains: C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. parapsilosis, C. tropicalis, and C. krusei with MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) values ranging from 30 to 300 µg/mL. Additionally, this study revealed that the compound suppressed the growth of cells of most of the tested clinical Candida albicans strains with MIC values between 30 and 1200 µg/mL. Based on the fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI), the combination of silymarin with antifungal drugs caspofungin, fluconazole, and amphotericin B did not significantly change the MIC values for the tested Candida strains. Furthermore, no antagonistic reactions were observed in any combination of drugs. In addition, this substance shows anti-virulence properties including the destabilization of mature biofilm and the inhibition of the secretion of hydrolases. qRT-PCR-based experiments demonstrated that the SAP4 gene involved in virulence was downregulated by silymarin. These results indicate completely new advantages of dietary supplementation with this natural plant extract.
Highlights
Nowadays, dietary supplements are very popular and commonly used throughout the world.Their goal is to supplement the normal diet with vitamins, minerals, or other nutrients that have a nutritional or other physiological effect
Silymarin is commonly used as a dietary supplement, in supporting liver function, and as a medicine employed in many liver diseases and metabolic syndromes including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia
In order to verify the antifungal activity of silymarin, five of the most frequent Candida species were used for the tests
Summary
Dietary supplements are very popular and commonly used throughout the world. Their goal is to supplement the normal diet with vitamins, minerals, or other nutrients (single or complex) that have a nutritional or other physiological effect. Milk thistle (Silybum marianum, family: Asteraceae) is a medical plant that has been used for at least 2000 years. The bioactive extract of milk thistle seeds and fruits, silymarin was classified by the World Health Organization as an official drug with hepatoprotective properties in the 1970s. Silymarin is commonly used as a dietary supplement, in supporting liver function, and as a medicine employed in many liver diseases and metabolic syndromes including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia
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