The Ameliorative Effect of Silymarin on Cadmium‐Treated Human Lung Carcinoma Cells

Abstract

PurposeCadmium is a non‐essential metal and environmental hazardous pollutant. The exposure of cadmium causes damage to all organs of human body and mainly accumulates in the liver and lungs due to cigarette smoke that contains cadmium. This leads to cancer in different organs of the body. Silymarin is a polyphenolic antioxidant flavonoid complex found in the herb, Silybum marianum (milk thistle seed).MethodsIn this study, the ameliorative effect of silymarin on the viability and the DNA damage was evaluated in cadmium‐induced human lung carcinoma cells (A549) by comet assay.ResultsThe results showed that treatment of human lung carcinoma cells with cadmium chloride alone for 24 h resulted in decrease in cell viability; while co‐treatment with silymarin showed an increase in viability. The human lung carcinoma cells treated with cadmium chloride alone increased the tail DNA and tail length; while co‐treatment with silymarin decreased the tail DNA and tail length in both single and double strand DNA comet assays.ConclusionOur results clearly show the ameliorative effect of silymarin on the viability and DNA damage in human lung carcinoma cells and suggest that it can be used for prevention and treatment of cadmium toxicity.