Silymarin (Milk Thistle) silibinin / lipid-P Cancer Research Results

SIL, Silymarin (Milk Thistle) silibinin: Click to Expand ⟱
Features:
Silymarin (Milk Thistle) Flowering herb related to daisy and ragweed family.
Silibinin (INN), also known as silybin is the major active constituent of silymarin, a standardized extract of the milk thistle seeds.
-a flavonoid combination of 65–80% of seven flavolignans; the most important of these include silybin, isosilybin, silychristin, isosilychristin, and silydianin. Silybin is the most abundant compound in around 50–70% in isoforms silybin A and silybin B

-Note half-life 6hrs?.
BioAv not soluble in water, low bioAv (1%). 240mg yielded only 0.34ug/ml plasma level. oral administration of SM (equivalent to 120 mg silibinin), total (unconjugated + conjugated) silibinin concentration in plasma was 1.1–1.3 μg/mL, so can not achieve levels used in most in-vitro studies.
Pathways:
- results for both inducing and reducing ROS in cancer cells. In normal cell seems to consistently lower ROS. Reports show both ROS↑ and ROS↓ in cancer models; systemic pro-oxidant effects may require higher exposures than typical oral dosing, but local or combination contexts may differ. (level in GUT could be much higher (800uM).
- ROS↑ related: MMP↓(ΔΨm), Ca+2↑, Cyt‑c↑, Caspases↑, DNA damage↑, cl-PARP↑,
- Raises AntiOxidant defense in Normal Cells: ROS↓, NRF2↑, SOD↑, GSH↑, Catalase↑,
- lowers Inflammation : NF-kB↓, COX2↓, p38↓(context-dependent; often stress-activated), Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines : NLRP3↓, IL-1β↓, TNF-α↓, IL-6↓, IL-8↓
- inhibit Growth/Metastases : TumMeta↓, TumCG↓, EMT↓, MMPs↓, MMP2↓, MMP9↓, TIMP2, uPA↓, VEGF↓, FAK↓, NF-κB↓, CXCR4↓, TGF-β↓, α-SMA↓, ERK↓
- reactivate genes thereby inhibiting cancer cell growth : HDAC↓, DNMTs↓, P53↑, HSP↓,
- cause Cell cycle arrest : TumCCA↑, cyclin D1↓, cyclin E↓, CDK2↓, CDK4↓,
- inhibits Migration/Invasion : TumCMig↓, TumCI↓, TNF-α↓, FAK↓, ERK↓, EMT↓,
- inhibits glycolysis and ATP depletion : HIF-1α↓, PKM2↓, cMyc↓, GLUT1↓, LDH↓, LDHA↓, HK2↓, PFKs↓, GRP78↑(ER stress), Glucose↓, GlucoseCon↓
- inhibits angiogenesis↓ : VEGF↓, HIF-1α↓, Notch↓, PDGF↓, EGFR↓,
- inhibits Cancer Stem Cells : CSC↓, Hh↓, GLi1↓, β-catenin↓, Notch2↓, OCT4↓,
- Others: PI3K↓, AKT↓, JAK↓, STAT↓, Wnt↓, β-catenin↓, AMPK, ERK↓, JNK, - SREBP (related to cholesterol).
- Synergies: chemo-sensitization, chemoProtective, RadioSensitizer, RadioProtective, Others(review target notes), Neuroprotective, Cognitive, Renoprotection, Hepatoprotective, CardioProtective,

- Selectivity: Cancer Cells vs Normal Cells

Rank Pathway / Axis Cancer Cells Normal Cells TSF Primary Effect Notes / Interpretation
1 ROS / redox buffering + mitochondrial protection Often ↑ stress susceptibility; can support apoptosis when survival signaling is blocked ↓ oxidative stress; mitochondrial protection P, R, G Context-selective redox modulation Silymarin is classically cytoprotective/antioxidant in normal tissues (notably liver), while in tumors it can weaken pro-survival adaptation and increase vulnerability to stressors and therapy.
2 Intrinsic apoptosis (mitochondria → caspases) ↑ apoptosis signaling; ↑ caspase activation ↔ minimal activation G Cell death execution Common downstream outcome in cancer models: apoptosis increases after earlier signaling/redox shifts and/or checkpoint disruption.
3 Cell-cycle control (cyclins/CDKs; checkpoints) ↑ arrest (G1/S or G2/M depending on model) ↔ G Cytostasis Typically observed as reduced proliferation with checkpoint engagement; timing usually later than kinase phosphorylation changes.
4 NF-κB inflammatory transcription ↓ NF-κB activity; ↓ inflammatory/pro-survival tone ↔ or protective anti-inflammatory effect R, G Anti-inflammatory / anti-survival transcription NF-κB suppression can reduce tumor-promoting inflammation and blunt stress-adaptive survival programs.
5 JAK/STAT3 axis (incl. PD-L1 / immune escape programs in some models) ↓ STAT3 signaling (context); may ↓ PD-L1 in certain tumor contexts ↔ R, G Reduced survival + immune-evasion signaling Reported to attenuate STAT3-driven tumor programs and, in some contexts, reduce immune-suppressive signaling (model dependent).
6 PI3K → AKT → mTOR survival / growth signaling ↓ PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling (context) ↔ R, G Growth/survival suppression Reduced PI3K/AKT/mTOR tone increases sensitivity to apoptosis and can reinforce cell-cycle arrest.
7 MAPK re-wiring (ERK/p38/JNK balance) Stress-MAPK shifts; ERK tone often reduced or re-patterned ↔ P, R, G Signal reprogramming Early phosphorylation shifts can precede later gene-expression changes; exact ERK direction is model and dose dependent.
8 Angiogenesis (VEGF and angiogenic factors) ↓ VEGF / angiogenesis outputs ↔ G Anti-angiogenic support Typically reflected in reduced pro-angiogenic expression/secretion and angiogenesis-related phenotypes over longer windows.
9 EMT / invasion / migration programs (incl. TGF-β/Smad-associated EMT in some systems) ↓ EMT markers; ↓ migration/invasion ↔ G Anti-invasive phenotype Often presents as restoration of epithelial markers and suppression of migration/invasion assays; commonly a later phenotype-level outcome.
10 Xenobiotic handling (Phase I/II enzymes; cytoprotection / chemoprevention framing) May alter carcinogen activation/detox balance ↑ detox / cytoprotection against xenobiotics G Chemopreventive protection A key “dual strategy” theme: protection of normal tissue from toxins/therapy while modulating tumor response pathways.
11 Drug resistance / efflux (MDR phenotype; P-gp-related resistance in some models) May ↓ functional MDR and ↑ chemo sensitivity (context) ↔ R, G Chemo-sensitization support Reported synergy with chemotherapy in resistant tumor settings; transporter direction can be context-specific, so present as “reported to reduce functional resistance” rather than a universal single-transporter claim.
12 Immune microenvironment signaling (cytokines / macrophage recruitment in some models) May ↓ pro-tumor cytokine programs and recruitment signals (context) ↔ G Anti-inflammatory tumor microenvironment shift Immune-modulatory effects are increasingly discussed, but they are more model-dependent and typically show on longer time scales.

Time-Scale Flag (TSF): P / R / G

  • P: 0–30 min (primary/physical–chemical effects; rapid signaling / phosphorylation shifts)
  • R: 30 min–3 hr (redox signaling + acute stress-response signaling)
  • G: >3 hr (gene-regulatory adaptation and phenotype-level outcomes)
lipid-P, lipid peroxidation: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
Lipid peroxidation is a chain reaction process in which free radicals (often reactive oxygen species, or ROS) attack lipids containing carbon-carbon double bonds, especially polyunsaturated fatty acids. This attack results in the formation of lipid radicals, peroxides, and subsequent breakdown products.
Lipid peroxidation can cause damage to cell membranes, leading to increased permeability and disruption of cellular functions. This damage can initiate a cascade of events that may contribute to carcinogenesis.
The byproducts of lipid peroxidation, such as malondialdehyde (MDA) and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), can form adducts with DNA, leading to mutations. These mutations can disrupt normal cellular processes and contribute to the development of cancer.
Lipid peroxidation damages cell membranes, disrupts cellular functions, and can trigger inflammatory responses. It is a marker of oxidative stress and is implicated in many chronic diseases.

Negative Prognostic Indicator: In many cancers, high levels of lipid phosphates, particularly S1P, are associated with poor prognosis, indicating a more aggressive tumor phenotype and potential resistance to therapy.
Mixed Evidence: The prognostic significance of lipid phosphates can vary by cancer type, with some studies showing that their expression may not always correlate with adverse outcomes.
Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
3319- SIL,    Silymarin and neurodegenerative diseases: Therapeutic potential and basic molecular mechanisms
- Review, AD, NA - Review, Park, NA - Review, Stroke, NA
*neuroP↑, *ROS↓, *Inflam↓, *Apoptosis↓, *BBB?, *tau↓, *NF-kB↓, *IL1β↓, *TNF-α↓, *IL4↓, *MAPK↓, *memory↑, *cognitive↑, *Aβ↓, *ROS↓, *lipid-P↓, *GSH↑, *MDA↓, *SOD↑, *Catalase↑, *AChE↓, *BChE↓, *p‑ERK↓, *p‑JNK↓, *p‑p38↓, *GutMicro↑, *COX2↓, *iNOS↓, *TLR4↓, *neuroP↑, *Strength↑, *AMPK↑, *MMP↑, *necrosis↓, *NRF2↑, *HO-1↑,
3655- SIL,    Protective effect of silymarin on oxidative stress in rat brain
- in-vivo, AD, NA
*GSH↑, *VitC↑, *SOD↑, *lipid-P↓, *ROS↓, *hepatoP↑, *neuroP↑,
3315- SIL,    Silymarin alleviates docetaxel-induced central and peripheral neurotoxicity by reducing oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis in rats
- in-vivo, Nor, NA
neuroP↑, *NRF2↑, *HO-1↑, *lipid-P↓, *GSH↑, *SOD↑, *Catalase↑, *GPx↑, *NF-kB↓, *TNF-α↓, *JNK↓, *Bcl-2↑, *BAX↑,
3649- SIL,    Silymarin suppresses TNF-induced activation of NF-kappa B, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, and apoptosis
*Inflam↓, *NF-kB↓, *cJun↓, *Casp↓, *ROS↓, *lipid-P↓,
3648- SIL,    Silymarin/Silybin and Chronic Liver Disease: A Marriage of Many Years
- Review, NA, NA
*antiOx↑, *Inflam↓, *lipid-P↓, *necrosis↓, *hepatoP↑, *IL1↓, *IL6↓, *TNF-α↓, *IFN-γ↓, MAPK↓, Apoptosis↑, Cyt‑c↑, Casp3↑, Casp9↑, *PPARγ↑, *GLUT4↑, *HSPs↓, *HSP27↑, *Trx↑, *SIRT1↑, *ALAT↓, *GSH↑, *lipid-P↓, *TNF-α↓, TumCG↓, P21↑, CDK4↑,
3288- SIL,    Silymarin in cancer therapy: Mechanisms of action, protective roles in chemotherapy-induced toxicity, and nanoformulations
- Review, Var, NA
Inflam↓, lipid-P↓, TumMeta↓, angioG↓, chemoP↑, EMT↓, HDAC↓, HATs↑, MMPs↓, uPA↓, PI3K↓, Akt↓, VEGF↓, CD31↓, Hif1a↓, VEGFR2↓, Raf↓, MEK↓, ERK↓, BIM↓, BAX↑, Bcl-2↓, Bcl-xL↓, Casp↑, MAPK↓, P53↑, LC3II↑, mTOR↓, YAP/TEAD↓, *BioAv↓, MMP↓, Cyt‑c↑, PCNA↓, cMyc↓, cycD1/CCND1↓, β-catenin/ZEB1↓, survivin↓, APAF1↑, Casp3↑, MDSCs↓, IL10↓, IL2↑, IFN-γ↑, hepatoP↑, cardioP↑, GSH↑, neuroP↑,
3295- SIL,    Hepatoprotective effect of silymarin
- Review, NA, NA
*hepatoP↑, *ROS↓, *GSH↑, *BioAv↝, ERK↓, NF-kB↓, STAT3↓, COX2↓, Inflam↓, IronCh↑, lipid-P↓, ALAT↓, AST↓, TNF-α↓, *α-SMA↓, *SOD↑,
3290- SIL,    A review of therapeutic potentials of milk thistle (Silybum marianum L.) and its main constituent, silymarin, on cancer, and their related patents
- Analysis, Var, NA
hepatoP↑, chemoP↑, *lipid-P↓, *antiOx↑, tumCV↓, TumCMig↓, Apoptosis↑, ROS↑, GSH↓, Bcl-2↓, survivin↓, cycD1/CCND1↓, NOTCH1↓, BAX↑, NF-kB↓, COX2↓, LOX1↓, iNOS↓, TNF-α↓, IL1↓, Inflam↓, *toxicity↓, CXCR4↓, EGFR↓, ERK↓, MMP↓, Cyt‑c↑, TumCCA↑, RB1↑, P53↑, P21↑, p27↑, cycE/CCNE↓, CDK4↓, p‑pRB↓, Hif1a↓, cMyc↓, IL1β↓, IFN-γ↓, PCNA↓, PSA↓, CYP1A1↓,
3289- SIL,    Silymarin: a promising modulator of apoptosis and survival signaling in cancer
- Review, Var, NA
*BioAv↝, *BioAv↓, Fas↑, FasL↑, FADD↑, pro‑Casp8↑, Apoptosis↑, DR5↑, Bcl-2↑, BAX↑, Casp3↑, PI3K↓, FOXM1↓, p‑mTOR↓, p‑P70S6K↓, Hif1a↓, Akt↑, angioG↓, STAT3↓, NF-kB↓, lipid-P↓, eff↑, CDK1↓, survivin↓, CycB/CCNB1↓, Mcl-1↓, Casp9↑, AP-1↓, BioAv↑,
3314- SIL,    Silymarin: Unveiling its pharmacological spectrum and therapeutic potential in liver diseases—A comprehensive narrative review
- Review, NA, NA
*antiOx↑, *hepatoP↑, *Half-Life↑, *ROS↓, *GSH↑, *hepatoP↑, *lipid-P↓, *TNF-α↓, *IFN-γ↓, *IL2↓, *IL4↓, *NF-kB↓, *iNOS↓, *OATPs↓, *OCT4↓, *Inflam↓, *PGE2↓, MMPs↓, VEGF↓, angioG↓, STAT3↓, *ALAT↓, *AST↓, Dose↝,
3300- SIL,    Toward the definition of the mechanism of action of silymarin: activities related to cellular protection from toxic damage induced by chemotherapy
- Review, Var, NA
*ROS↓, *SOD↑, *hepatoP↑, *AST↓, *ALAT↓, *lipid-P↓, *GSH↑, *Catalase↑, *GSTs↑, *GSR↑, *TNF-α↓, *IFN-γ↓, *IL4↓, *IL2↓, *NF-kB↓, *IL10↑, *Inflam↓, COX2↓, Apoptosis↑, ChemoSen↑, PGE2↓, VEGF↓,

Showing Research Papers: 1 to 11 of 11

* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 11

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

CYP1A1↓, 1,   GSH↓, 1,   GSH↑, 1,   lipid-P↓, 3,   ROS↑, 1,  

Metal & Cofactor Biology ⓘ

IronCh↑, 1,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics ⓘ

MEK↓, 1,   MMP↓, 2,   Raf↓, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

ALAT↓, 1,   cMyc↓, 2,  

Cell Death ⓘ

Akt↓, 1,   Akt↑, 1,   APAF1↑, 1,   Apoptosis↑, 4,   BAX↑, 3,   Bcl-2↓, 2,   Bcl-2↑, 1,   Bcl-xL↓, 1,   BIM↓, 1,   Casp↑, 1,   Casp3↑, 3,   pro‑Casp8↑, 1,   Casp9↑, 2,   Cyt‑c↑, 3,   DR5↑, 1,   FADD↑, 1,   Fas↑, 1,   FasL↑, 1,   iNOS↓, 1,   MAPK↓, 2,   Mcl-1↓, 1,   p27↑, 1,   survivin↓, 3,   YAP/TEAD↓, 1,  

Transcription & Epigenetics ⓘ

HATs↑, 1,   p‑pRB↓, 1,   tumCV↓, 1,  

Autophagy & Lysosomes ⓘ

LC3II↑, 1,  

DNA Damage & Repair ⓘ

P53↑, 2,   PCNA↓, 2,  

Cell Cycle & Senescence ⓘ

CDK1↓, 1,   CDK4↓, 1,   CDK4↑, 1,   CycB/CCNB1↓, 1,   cycD1/CCND1↓, 2,   cycE/CCNE↓, 1,   P21↑, 2,   RB1↑, 1,   TumCCA↑, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

EMT↓, 1,   ERK↓, 3,   FOXM1↓, 1,   HDAC↓, 1,   mTOR↓, 1,   p‑mTOR↓, 1,   NOTCH1↓, 1,   p‑P70S6K↓, 1,   PI3K↓, 2,   STAT3↓, 3,   TumCG↓, 1,  

Migration ⓘ

AP-1↓, 1,   CD31↓, 1,   MMPs↓, 2,   TumCMig↓, 1,   TumMeta↓, 1,   uPA↓, 1,   β-catenin/ZEB1↓, 1,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature ⓘ

angioG↓, 3,   EGFR↓, 1,   Hif1a↓, 3,   LOX1↓, 1,   VEGF↓, 3,   VEGFR2↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

COX2↓, 3,   CXCR4↓, 1,   IFN-γ↓, 1,   IFN-γ↑, 1,   IL1↓, 1,   IL10↓, 1,   IL1β↓, 1,   IL2↑, 1,   Inflam↓, 3,   MDSCs↓, 1,   NF-kB↓, 3,   PGE2↓, 1,   PSA↓, 1,   TNF-α↓, 2,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

BioAv↑, 1,   ChemoSen↑, 1,   Dose↝, 1,   eff↑, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

ALAT↓, 1,   AST↓, 1,   EGFR↓, 1,   FOXM1↓, 1,   PSA↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

cardioP↑, 1,   chemoP↑, 2,   hepatoP↑, 2,   neuroP↑, 2,  
Total Targets: 101

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

antiOx↑, 3,   Catalase↑, 3,   GPx↑, 1,   GSH↑, 7,   GSR↑, 1,   GSTs↑, 1,   HO-1↑, 2,   lipid-P↓, 9,   MDA↓, 1,   NRF2↑, 2,   ROS↓, 7,   SOD↑, 5,   Trx↑, 1,   VitC↑, 1,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics ⓘ

MMP↑, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

ALAT↓, 3,   AMPK↑, 1,   PPARγ↑, 1,   SIRT1↑, 1,  

Cell Death ⓘ

Apoptosis↓, 1,   BAX↑, 1,   Bcl-2↑, 1,   Casp↓, 1,   iNOS↓, 2,   JNK↓, 1,   p‑JNK↓, 1,   MAPK↓, 1,   necrosis↓, 2,   p‑p38↓, 1,  

Transcription & Epigenetics ⓘ

cJun↓, 1,  

Protein Folding & ER Stress ⓘ

HSP27↑, 1,   HSPs↓, 1,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

p‑ERK↓, 1,   OCT4↓, 1,  

Migration ⓘ

α-SMA↓, 1,  

Barriers & Transport ⓘ

BBB?, 1,   GLUT4↑, 1,   OATPs↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

COX2↓, 1,   IFN-γ↓, 3,   IL1↓, 1,   IL10↑, 1,   IL1β↓, 1,   IL2↓, 2,   IL4↓, 3,   IL6↓, 1,   Inflam↓, 5,   NF-kB↓, 5,   PGE2↓, 1,   TLR4↓, 1,   TNF-α↓, 6,  

Synaptic & Neurotransmission ⓘ

AChE↓, 1,   BChE↓, 1,   tau↓, 1,  

Protein Aggregation ⓘ

Aβ↓, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

BioAv↓, 2,   BioAv↝, 2,   Half-Life↑, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

ALAT↓, 3,   AST↓, 2,   GutMicro↑, 1,   IL6↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

cognitive↑, 1,   hepatoP↑, 6,   memory↑, 1,   neuroP↑, 3,   Strength↑, 1,   toxicity↓, 1,  
Total Targets: 68

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: lipid-P, lipid peroxidation
11 Silymarin (Milk Thistle) silibinin
Query results interpretion may depend on "conditions" listed in the research papers.
Such Conditions may include : 
  -low or high Dose
  -format for product, such as nano of lipid formations
  -different cell line effects
  -synergies with other products 
  -if effect was for normal or cancerous cells

Filter Conditions: Pro/AntiFlg:%  IllCat:%  CanType:%  Cells:%  prod#:154  Target#:453  State#:%  Dir#:1
  wNotes=0  sortOrder:rid,rpid

 

Home Page