Silybum marianum fruit Silymarin

Quaglia MG, Bossu E, Donati E, Mazzanti G, Brandt A. Determination of silymarine in the extract from the dried Silybum marianum fruits by high... 

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is an annual to biennial plant of the Aster-aceae family. It is native principally to southern Europe and northern Africa. The crude drug consists of the ripe fruits from which the pappus has been removed. Milk thistle fruits contain 15% to 30% proteins. The main active compounds constitute only about 2% to 3% of the dried fruits. The active principle is a mixture of flavolignans called silymarin. Silymarin, a polyphenolic extract isolated from the seeds of milk thistle, is composed mainly of silybin (50 70%), with small amounts of other silybin structural isomers, namely isosilybin, silydianin, and silychristin (Fig. 11) (123-125). The highest concentration of silymarin is found in the ripe fruits (126). Silibinin is the main compound, also considered to be the most active one in several paradigms (127). 

Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn. Shui Fei Ji (fruit) Silybin, silymarin, silydiamin, silyckristin, dehydrosilybin, silybinomer.33 Maintain normal functioning of the liver, promote the regeneration of injured hepatic cells, increase glycogenesis and nucleic acid metabolism. 

Nature Milk thistle is derived from the fruit and seeds of Silybum marianum, which contain flavonolignans such as silymarin. 

Biosynthesis of the flavonolignan silymarin, a constitutive compound from the fruit of Silybum marianum with strong antihepatotoxic and hepatoprotective activities, is severely reduced in cell cultures of this species. It is well known that elicitation is one of the strategies employed to increase accumulation of secondary metabolites. YEs, chitin, and chitosan were compared with respect to their effects on silyamarin accumulation in S. marianum suspensions with YE-stimulated production (Sanchez-Sampedro et al. 2005). 

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