The DOI matches its Crossref record; 291 of the 293 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Silymarin as a Natural Antioxidant: An Overview of the Current Evidence and Perspectives
Open accessAbstract
Silymarin (SM), an extract from the Silybum marianum (milk thistle) plant containing various flavonolignans (with silybin being the major one), has received a tremendous amount of attention over the last decade as a herbal remedy for liver treatment. In many cases, the antioxidant properties of SM are considered to be responsible for its protective actions. Possible antioxidant mechanisms of SM are evaluated in this review. (1) Direct scavenging free radicals and chelating free Fe and Cu are mainly effective in the gut. (2) Preventing free radical formation by inhibiting specific ROS-producing enzymes, or improving an integrity of mitochondria in stress conditions, are of great importance. (3) Maintaining an optimal redox balance in the cell by activating a range of antioxidant enzymes and non-enzymatic antioxidants, mainly via Nrf2 activation is probably the main driving force of antioxidant (AO) action of SM. (4) Decreasing inflammatory responses by inhibiting NF-κB pathways is an emerging mechanism of SM protective effects in liver toxicity and various liver diseases. (5) Activating vitagenes, responsible for synthesis of protective molecules, including heat shock proteins (HSPs), thioredoxin and sirtuins and providing additional protection in stress conditions deserves more attention. (6) Affecting the microenvironment of the gut, including SM-bacteria interactions, awaits future investigations. (7) In animal nutrition and disease prevention strategy, SM alone, or in combination with other hepatho-active compounds (carnitine, betaine, vitamin B12, etc.), might have similar hepatoprotective effects as described in human nutrition.
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“Pre–clinical and clinical studies have shown anti-oxidant properties of silibinin [45].”
From Intervention by picroside II on FFAs induced lipid accumulation and lipotoxicity in HepG2 cells (2021) · cites this paper as [45]
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4 retracted
Prabu, S. M., & Muthumani, M. (2012) · Molecular Biology Reports · doi:10.1007/s11033-012-2029-6 · Cited by 141
RetractedAgarwal, C., Tyagi, A., Kaur, M., & Agarwal, R. (2007) · Carcinogenesis · doi:10.1093/carcin/bgm042 · Cited by 128
RetractedSalama, S. M., Abdulla, M. A., AlRashdi, A. S., & Hadi, A. H. A. (2013) · Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine · doi:10.1155/2013/157456 · Cited by 42
RetractedKadir, F. A., Kassim, N. M., Abdulla, M. A., Kamalıdehghan, B., Ahmadipour, F., & Yehye, W. A. (2014) · The Scientific World JOURNAL · doi:10.1155/2014/301879 · Cited by 33
RetractedThe NOX Family of ROS-Generating NADPH Oxidases: Physiology and Pathophysiology
Bedard, K., & Krause, K.-H. (2007) · Physiological Reviews · doi:10.1152/physrev.00044.2005 · Cited by 6,989
Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Oxidative Stress in Neurodegenerative Diseases
Lin, M. T., & Beal, M. F. (2006) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature05292 · Cited by 6,455
Role of nrf2 in oxidative stress and toxicity
Ma, Q. (2013) · Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology · doi:10.1146/annurev-pharmtox-011112-140320 · Cited by 4,903
The Nrf2 regulatory network provides an interface between redox and intermediary metabolism
Hayes, J. D., & Dinkova‐Kostova, A. T. (2014) · Trends in Biochemical Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tibs.2014.02.002 · Cited by 2,210
The thioredoxin antioxidant system
Lu, J., & Holmgren, A. (2014) · Free Radical Biology and Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2013.07.036 · Cited by 2,055
Regulation of NF-κB by TNF family cytokines
Hayden, M. S., & Ghosh, S. (2014) · Seminars in Immunology · doi:10.1016/j.smim.2014.05.004 · Cited by 1,167
Flagged first, then by citations
2 of the 293 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Research works printed but not linked: 4
- Fotina, 2013, Recent developments in usage of natural antioxidants to improve chicken meat production and quality, Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 19, 889
- Diaz, D. (2005). The Mycotoxin Blue Book, Nottingham University Press.
- Kumar, 2013, Antcin C from Antrodia cinnamomea Protects Liver Cells Against Free Radical-Induced Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis In Vitro and In Vivo through Nrf2-Dependent Mechanism, Evid. Based Complement. Alternat. Med., 2013, 296082
- Surai, 2004, Antioxidant-prooxidant balance in the intestine: Food for thought. 2. Antioxidants, Curr. Top. Nutraceutical. Res., 2, 27
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Sorted by citations
Free radicals and their impact on health and antioxidant defenses: a review
Chandimali, N., Bak, S. G., Park, E. H., Lim, H. J., Won, Y., Kim, E., Park, S., & Lee, S. (2025) · Cell Death Discovery · doi:10.1038/s41420-024-02278-8 · Cited by 852
Antioxidant Defence Systems and Oxidative Stress in Poultry Biology: An Update
Surai, P. F., Kochish, I. I., Fisinin, V. I., & Kidd, M. T. (2019) · Antioxidants · doi:10.3390/antiox8070235 · Cited by 721
Self-citationSilymarin as Supportive Treatment in Liver Diseases: A Narrative Review
Gillessen, A., & Schmidt, H. (2020) · Advances in Therapy · doi:10.1007/s12325-020-01251-y · Cited by 521
Abenavoli, L., Izzo, A. A., Milić, N., Cicala, C., Santini, A., & Capasso, R. (2018) · Phytotherapy Research · doi:10.1002/ptr.6171 · Cited by 497
Sahoo, D. K., Heilmann, R. M., Paital, B., Patel, A., Yadav, V. K., Wong, D. M., & Jergens, A. E. (2023) · Frontiers in Endocrinology · doi:10.3389/fendo.2023.1217165 · Cited by 357
Metadata
- Authors
- Surai, P.
- Affiliations
- Magyar Agrár- és Élettudományi Egyetem (HU)
- Corresponding author
- Surai, Peter
- ORCID
- Surai, Peter
- Venue
- Antioxidants
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2015-03-20
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 204-247
- ISSN
- 2076-3921 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4665566
- OpenAlex
- W2142110193
- Cited by
- 738
- References
- 293
- Citations by year
- 2026: 61 · 2025: 92 · 2024: 91 · 2023: 89 · 2022: 61 · 2021: 69 · 2020: 89 · 2019: 53 · 2018: 42 · 2017: 57 · 2016: 26 · 2015: 7
- FWCI
- 7.86
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- dx.doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Antioxidants (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Hepatology › Silymarin and Mushroom Poisoning
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Genomics, phytochemicals, and oxidative stress
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Selenium in Biological Systems
- Keywords
- silymarin, Silybum marianum, flavonolignans, silibinin, antioxidant defense, free radical scavenging, metal chelation, reactive oxygen species, mitochondria, Nrf2, NF-κB, inflammation, heat shock proteins, thioredoxin, sirtuins, gut microbiota, hepatoprotection, liver disease, hepatotoxicity, herbal medicine
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