Looking beyond silybin: the importance of other silymarin flavonolignans

Silymarin, an extract from the seeds of milk thistle (Silybum marianum), has been widely studied and used for its hepatoprotective and pharmacological properties. For decades, both experimental and clinical research has been predominantly focused on a single component, silybin, while other related f...

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Main Authors: Michal Selc, Andrea Babelova
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-07-01
Series:Frontiers in Pharmacology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1637393/full
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author Michal Selc
Michal Selc
Andrea Babelova
Andrea Babelova
author_facet Michal Selc
Michal Selc
Andrea Babelova
Andrea Babelova
author_sort Michal Selc
collection DOAJ
description Silymarin, an extract from the seeds of milk thistle (Silybum marianum), has been widely studied and used for its hepatoprotective and pharmacological properties. For decades, both experimental and clinical research has been predominantly focused on a single component, silybin, while other related flavonolignans, such as silychristin, isosilybins, silydianin, dehydrosilybin, and the flavonoid taxifolin, have been understudied. However, these less known components may possess unique or even superior pharmacological activities compared to silybin, including strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and selective anticancer effects. Exploring these other constituents beyond silybin may unlock new opportunities for drug discovery and personalized phytotherapy, ultimately advancing the development of next-generation flavonolignan-based therapeutics.
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publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Pharmacology
spelling doaj-art-4f8a2a92797f4e44b54c860a227b4e9a2025-08-20T03:13:22ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Pharmacology1663-98122025-07-011610.3389/fphar.2025.16373931637393Looking beyond silybin: the importance of other silymarin flavonolignansMichal Selc0Michal Selc1Andrea Babelova2Andrea Babelova3Centre for Advanced Material Application, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, SlovakiaDepartment of Nanobiology, Cancer Research Institute, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, SlovakiaCentre for Advanced Material Application, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, SlovakiaDepartment of Nanobiology, Cancer Research Institute, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, SlovakiaSilymarin, an extract from the seeds of milk thistle (Silybum marianum), has been widely studied and used for its hepatoprotective and pharmacological properties. For decades, both experimental and clinical research has been predominantly focused on a single component, silybin, while other related flavonolignans, such as silychristin, isosilybins, silydianin, dehydrosilybin, and the flavonoid taxifolin, have been understudied. However, these less known components may possess unique or even superior pharmacological activities compared to silybin, including strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and selective anticancer effects. Exploring these other constituents beyond silybin may unlock new opportunities for drug discovery and personalized phytotherapy, ultimately advancing the development of next-generation flavonolignan-based therapeutics.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1637393/fullsilymarinsilybinflavonolignansnatural productsresearch bias
spellingShingle Michal Selc
Michal Selc
Andrea Babelova
Andrea Babelova
Looking beyond silybin: the importance of other silymarin flavonolignans
Frontiers in Pharmacology
silymarin
silybin
flavonolignans
natural products
research bias
title Looking beyond silybin: the importance of other silymarin flavonolignans
title_full Looking beyond silybin: the importance of other silymarin flavonolignans
title_fullStr Looking beyond silybin: the importance of other silymarin flavonolignans
title_full_unstemmed Looking beyond silybin: the importance of other silymarin flavonolignans
title_short Looking beyond silybin: the importance of other silymarin flavonolignans
title_sort looking beyond silybin the importance of other silymarin flavonolignans
topic silymarin
silybin
flavonolignans
natural products
research bias
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1637393/full
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