Department of Health Sciences, University Magna Graecia, Catanzaro, Italy.
Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
Phytother Res. 2018 Nov;32(11):2202-2213. doi: 10.1002/ptr.6171. Epub 2018 Aug 6.
Milk thistle (MT; Silybum marianum), a member of the Asteraceae family, is a therapeutic herb with a 2,000-year history of use. MT fruits contain a mixture of flavonolignans collectively known as silymarin, being silybin (also named silibinin) the main component. This article reviews the chemistry of MT, the pharmacokinetics and bioavailability, the pharmacologically relevant actions for liver diseases (e.g., anti-inflammatory, immunomodulating, antifibrotic, antioxidant, and liver-regenerating properties) as well as the clinical potential in patients with alcoholic liver disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, viral hepatitis, drug-induced liver injury, and mushroom poisoning. Overall, literature data suggest that, despite encouraging preclinical data, further well-designed randomized clinical trials are needed to fully substantiate the real value of MT preparations in liver diseases.
水飞蓟（MT；奶蓟草），菊科植物的一员，是一种具有 2000 年使用历史的治疗性草药。MT 果实含有一种被称为水飞蓟素的类黄酮木脂素混合物，其中主要成分是水飞蓟宾（也称为水飞蓟宾）。本文综述了 MT 的化学、药代动力学和生物利用度、对肝脏疾病具有药理相关作用（如抗炎、免疫调节、抗纤维化、抗氧化和肝脏再生特性）以及在酒精性肝病、非酒精性脂肪性肝病、病毒性肝炎、药物性肝损伤和蘑菇中毒患者中的临床潜力。总的来说，文献数据表明，尽管有令人鼓舞的临床前数据，但仍需要进行更多精心设计的随机临床试验，以充分证实 MT 制剂在肝脏疾病中的真正价值。
