Silybin glycosides

Some flavonoid glycosides are prepared s)mthetically or by biotransformations, usually for pharmaceutical purposes. Silybin (7) is a flavonolignan that is extracted from seeds of milk thistle (Silybum marianum) and it is used extensively as a potent hepatoprotectant and an antidote in mushroom poisoning. The major drawback of this compound is its low water solubility (about 0.43 g/L). Therefore, its glycosylation was accomplished by biological [13] and chemical methods [14]. 

Kosina, P, P Maurel, J. Ulrichova, and Z. Dvorak. 2005. Effect of silybin and its glycosides on the expression of cytochromes P450 1A2 and 3 A4 in primary cultures of human hepatocytes. J. Biochem. Mol. Toxicol. 19(3) 149-153. 

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