Search Results (3)

Liver disease represents a major global health issue, with limited availability of effective hepatoprotective treatments. Hojasé or hojasén or Flourensia cernua (Fc) is known for its antioxidant properties and high phenolic content and may exhibit a potential hepatoprotective effect. Additionally, natural products have been shown to restore gut microbiota and reduce liver inflammation. To evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of Fc and its impact on gut microbiota in a valproic acid (VPA)-induced injury model in Wistar rats. Seven groups of Wistar rats (n = 6) were treated as follows: Sham; Non-toxic Fc (NTox 200 and 400 mg/kg); VPA 500 mg/kg; VPA + Fc 200 and VPA + Fc 400; and silybinin 500 mg/kg (VPA + Slb). Liver function tests, malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) markers, aerobic gut microbiota analysis, and histological analysis were conducted. No significant differences were observed in ALT and AST levels between NTox 200, NTox 400, and Sham. Only the 400 mg/kg dose of Fc significantly reduced ALT and AST versus VPA, similar to Slb. In VPA + Fc 200 and VPA + Fc 400, MDA and SOD decreased versus VPA, comparable to VPA + Slb. Only VPA + Fc 400 and VPA + Slb restored aerobic gut microbiota versus VPA. No histological changes were observed between groups. Fc extract demonstrated hepatoprotective effects at a dose of 400 mg/kg and impacted the restoration of aerobic gut microbiota against VPA-induced damage. Full article

The agricultural policy of the European Union is currently focused on increasing the area of organic farming. Medicinal plants, including milk thistle (Silybum marianum [L.] Gaertn.), are particularly suitable for this type of cultivation. The aim of this study was to compare milk thistle fruits from organic and conventional farming in terms of the content of silymarin and individual flavonolignans, oil content, microbiological purity, as well as antimicrobial activity of the silymarin extract, mainly in relation to microorganisms responsible for skin infections. The raw material of Silybi mariani fructus obtained from organic farming did not differ in terms of silymarin and oil content compared to the raw material from conventional cultivation. However, it differed in the composition of silymarin and the level of microbiological contamination. Raw material from organic farming was mostly characterized by a higher proportion of the sum of silydianin and silychristin in the silymarin complex than the sum of silybinin A and silybinin B. In the samples from conventional cultivation, only genotypes with a predominance of silybinins were present. Although the total number of microorganisms (TAMC) and yeasts and molds (TYMC) on fruit from organic farming were several times higher than on fruit from conventional farming, it was still within the standards set for food products. All raw materials were free of Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes. In addition, it was shown that the silymarin extract from organic farming was generally characterized by greater antimicrobial activity, especially in relation to Staphylococcus aureus, which is resistant and troublesome in skin infections. Full article

A selective acylation protocol using cerium chloride (CeCl₃) as catalyst was applied to functionalize silybinin (1), a natural antioxidant flavonolignan from milk thistle fruit, in order to increase its solubility in lipophilic media while retaining its strong antioxidant activity. The selective esterification of 1 at the position 3-OH with a palmitate acyl chain leading to the formation of the 3-O-palmitoyl-silybin (2) was confirmed by both mass spectroscopy (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses. The antioxidant activity of 1 was at least retained and even increased with the CUPRAC assay designed to estimate the antioxidant activity of both hydrophilic and lipophilic compounds. Finally, the 3-O-palmitoylation of 1, resulting in the formation of 2, also increased its anti-lipoperoxidant activity (i.e., inhibition of conjugated diene production) in two different lipophilic media (bulk oil and o/w emulsion) subjected to accelerated storage test. Full article