الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 290 |  |  |
| | | from | 290 | | |
Abstract
This study aims to assess the preventive effects of silymarin and hydro-ethanolic extracts of Silybum marianum leaves and fruits and to elucidate their mechanism of action in diethylnitrosamine (DEN)/phenobarbital (PB)-induced carcinogenesis. 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 b. w.) 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, respectively, at a dose of 10, 50 and 50 mg/kg/day, respectively, for 14 weeks. The treatments of DEN/PB-administered rats with silymarin and milk thistle leaves and fruits extracts resulted in the improvement of the elevated serum ALT, AST, ALP and γGT activities in addition to the decreased concentrations of total bilirubin, creatinine and urea. They also decreased the levels of TNF-α and AFP as well as increased total protein, albumin and adiponectin levels. Moreover, the treatments led to prevention of the elevated LPO to a great extent and amelioration of the lowered SOD, CAT, GPx and GSH activities as well as GSH content in liver and kidney. There was also a decrease in the mRNA expressions of NF-ᴋB, IL-1β and COX-2 as well as an increase in the levels of IL-4, P53, caspase-3, Bax and Bcl2 in the liver of DEN/PB-administered rats treated with silymarin and milk thistle leaves and fruits extracts. In conclusion, silymarin and Silybum marianum hydroethanolic extracts may have effective chemopreventive potentials against hepatocarcinogenesis and nephrotoxicity via suppression of oxidative stress, enhancement of antioxidant defense system and attenuation of the inflammatory effects.