ArticleHepatology (Baltimore, Md.)2010
Multiple effects of silymarin on the hepatitis C virus lifecycle.
Article in Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.), 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 110 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
110 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 233 citations in OpenAlex.
- Are alterations needed in Silybum marianum (Silymarin) administration practices? A novel outlook and meta-analysis on randomized trials targeting liver injury.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2025Pooled it
- Current Status of Herbal Medicines in Chronic Liver Disease Therapy: The Biological Effects, Molecular Targets and Future Prospects.International journal of molecular sciences · 2015Pooled it
- Effects and tolerance of silymarin (milk thistle) in chronic hepatitis C virus infection patients: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.BioMed research international · 2014Pooled it
- Effect of Silymarin as an Adjunct Therapy in Combination with Sofosbuvir and Ribavirin in Hepatitis C Patients: A Miniature Clinical Trial.Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity · 2022Trial
- Impact of oral silymarin on virus- and non-virus-specific T-cell responses in chronic hepatitis C infection.Journal of viral hepatitis · 2013Trial
- Trial
- Safety and efficacy of Qurse-e-istisqua in chronic hepatitis C infection: an exploratory study.Indian journal of pharmacologyTrial
- Herbal remedies for hepatic diseases: A review of medicinal herbs in the treatment of liver disorders.Chinese herbal medicines · 2026Review
- Silymarin Attenuates Arthritis and Myositis in a Murine Model of Acute Infection by Chikungunya and Mayaro Viruses.ACS infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Preparation of silibinin- dendrimer-stabilized Au nanoparticles for decreasing vancomycin resistance in S. aureus clinical isolates.International microbiology : the official journal of the Spanish Society for Microbiology · 2026Article
- Article
- In Vitro Antiviral Activity of a Silydianin-Rich Extract fromAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Carbon Monoxide-Releasing Activity of Plant Flavonoids.Journal of agricultural and food chemistry · 2025Article
- Detection of Hepatitis C Virus Infection from Patient Sera in Cell Culture Using Semi-Automated Image Analysis.Viruses · 2024Article
- Evaluation of Silybin Nanoparticles against Liver Damage in MurinePharmaceutics · 2024Article
- Metabolic profiling of milk thistle different organs using UPLC-TQD-MS/MS coupled to multivariate analysis in relation to their selective antiviral potential.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2024Article
- Silymarin Synergizes with Antiviral Therapy in Hepatitis B Virus-Related Liver Cirrhosis: A Propensity Score Matching Multi-Institutional Study.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- A review of the botany, phytochemistry, pharmacology, synthetic biology and comprehensive utilization ofFrontiers in pharmacology · 2024Review
- Tissue Lipid Profiles of Rainbow Trout,Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2023Article
- Effects ofMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
50 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
17 authors at 9 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
unlabelledSilymarin, an extract from milk thistle (Silybum marianum), and its purified flavonolignans have been recently shown to inhibit hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, both in vitro and in vivo. In the current study, we further characterized silymarin's antiviral actions. Silymarin had antiviral effects against hepatitis C virus cell culture (HCVcc) infection that included inhibition of virus entry, RNA and protein expression, and infectious virus production. Silymarin did not block HCVcc binding to cells but inhibited the entry of several viral pseudoparticles (pp), and fusion of HCVpp with liposomes. Silymarin but not silibinin inhibited genotype 2a NS5B RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) activity at concentrations 5 to 10 times higher than required for anti-HCVcc effects. Furthermore, silymarin had inefficient activity on the genotype 1b BK and four 1b RDRPs derived from HCV-infected patients. Moreover, silymarin did not inhibit HCV replication in five independent genotype 1a, 1b, and 2a replicon cell lines that did not produce infectious virus. Silymarin inhibited microsomal triglyceride transfer protein activity, apolipoprotein B secretion, and infectious virion production into culture supernatants. Silymarin also blocked cell-to-cell spread of virus.
conclusionAlthough inhibition of in vitro NS5B polymerase activity is demonstrable, the mechanisms of silymarin's antiviral action appear to include blocking of virus entry and transmission, possibly by targeting the host cell.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.