Hepatoprotective and antiviral functions of silymarin components in hepatitis C virus infection

here exists a widely held view that silymarin (a.k.a. milk thistle) promotes liver health through antioxidant, antiinflammatory, antiproliferative, and immunomodulatory effects. While there are compelling in vitro and animal data supporting the hepatoprotective effects of silymarin and inhibition of in vitro HCV infection, 4 clinical data are equivocal, with some studies suggesting a protective effect of silymarin against progression of liver disease in subjects with hepatitis C, 5 while other studies found no such effect. 6,7 Thus, there is clinical controversy around whether silymarin and silymarin-derived compounds protect the liver. It is the intention of this review article to summarize the current state of knowledge on whether and how silymarin (and the mixture of silymarin components known as silibinin) protects the liver and modulates hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and to make recommendations for areas of further research.