Protective Effect of Silybum marianum Extract against Doxorubicin Induced Toxicity in Male Rats

Sarah Othman; Safaa Mohamed Ali; Nehal M. El- Deeb

المؤلفون

Sarah Othman Pharmaceutical Bioproducts research department, Genetic engineering and biotechnology research institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications, New Borg El-Arab City 21934, Alexandria, Egypt. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3327-8100
Safaa Mohamed Ali Nucleic Acid research department, Genetic engineering and biotechnology research institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications, New Borg El-Arab City 21934, Alexandria, Egypt.
Nehal M. El- Deeb Biopharmaceutical products research department, Genetic engineering and biotechnology research institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications, New Borg El-Arab City 21934, Alexandria, Egypt.

الكلمات المفتاحية:

Milk thistle, liver diseases, male Wistar rats, doxorubicin, chemotherapy.

الملخص

Silybum marianum (Milk thistle) has been used in the treatment of various diseases including liver diseases and the prevention and treatment of cancer and has also been known to be used as food. Therefore, in the present research, the safety usage of milk thistle extract and its ability to alleviate doxorubicin-induced toxicity in rats was examined. Male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups, 1^st group was used as control, the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th groups administrated plant extract (100 mg/ml/Kg, orally), doxorubicin (15 mg/kg, i.p.) and plant extract plus doxorubicin respectively for 15 days except for doxorubicin which was injected on the 14^th day. Data of present research proved the ability of milk thistle extract to alleviate doxorubicin-induced toxicity on various biochemical and hematological parameters, regulation of COX1 gene expression level as well as decreasing plasma and liver TBARS and increasing total antioxidant capacity, reduced GSH, GST, and GPx that minimized oxidative stress induced by the drug. In conclusion, milk thistle extract could be used during doxorubicin chemotherapy treatment as a natural source to avoid the side effects induced by this chemotherapeutic agent.