Hepatoprotective activity of silymarin in rats treated with high doses of acetylsalicylic acid or naproxen

ABSTRACT

Rats were treated with acetylsalicylic acid [150 rng/kg b.w.per os daily] or naproxen [125 mg/kg b.w. per os daily] for six weeks. Half of the rats received silymarin [17.5 mg/kg b.w. per os daily] in the last three weeks of the experiment. It was found that administration of acetyl salicylic acid led to signs of hepatic damage [an increase in serum bilirubin level, alanine aminotransferase and Alpha glutarnyl transpeptidase activity] while the concomitant administration of silymarin diminished the extent of the hepatic damage. Naproxen was shown to be less toxic than acetylsalicylic acid, and its toxicity was also reduced by silymarin. The obtained results suggest that silymarin be administered to patients undergoing long-term treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in order to prevent hepatic damage, but further studies are needed to elaborate on the clinical aspects of silymarin treatment in those patients