"Mechanisms of liver protection by silymarin (aka milk thistle)"
Silymarin, an extract of milk thistle seeds, prevents liver injury and disease progression in some models. Silymarin is the most popular botanical medicine consumed by patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, which afflicts over 150 million people worldwide. We are pursuing the molecular mechanisms by which silymarin protects the liver. This presentation will review silymarin and silymarin-derived purified compound effects on HCV infection and highlight new data on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). These studies may lead to novel cell-targeted antiviral therapies, identification of biomarkers of silymarin treatment and efficacy, and refinements in silymarin-based treatments for liver disease in HCV and HCV/HIV infected patients.
