Silymarin and Hydroethanolic Extracts of Silybum marianum Leaves and Fruits Attenuate Diethylnitrosamine/Phenobarbital Induced Nephrotoxicity via Their Antioxidant and Anti Inflammatory Actions
The current study was designed to evaluate the possible preventive effects of silymarin and hydroethanolic extracts of Silybum marianum leaves and fruits on diethylnitrosamine (DEN)/phenobarbital (PB) induced nephrotoxicity in rats. The albino rats used in this study were allocated into 5 groups. Group I was kept as a normal control group, while the other 4 groups were administered a single intraperitoneal dose (200 mg/kg) of DEN, followed by daily PB administration in drinking water from the 3rd week till the end of the experiment. Group II was DEN/PB administered control group and groups III, IV and V were administered DEN and PB and were orally given silymarin, milk thistle leaves and milk thistle fruits extracts at a dose of 10, 50 and 50 mg/kg/day, respectively, for 14 weeks. DEN/PB administrations induced kidney injury evidenced by histological alterations as well as significant increase of serum urea and creatinine concentrations. They also produced a significant increase in serum TNF a level and a significant decrease in serum adiponectin level. On the other hand, the renal lipid peroxidation was elevated while renal glutathione content and activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione s transferase were significantly declined as a result of DEN/PB administrations. Concomitant supplementation with silymarin and hydroethanolic extracts of Silybum marianum leaves and fruits markedly alleviated the altered biochemical and histopathological features. Thus, it can be concluded that silymarin and hydroethanolic extracts of milk thistle leaves and fruits successfully attenuate the DEN/PB induced nephrotoxicity via their antioxidant and anti inflammatory actions.