Database Query Results : Silymarin (Milk Thistle) silibinin, , CXCR4

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)
CXCR4, Chemokine Receptor Type 4: Click to Expand ⟱
Source:
Type:
Chemokine Receptor Type 4 (CXCR4) is a G protein-coupled receptor that plays a significant role in various physiological processes, including immune responses, hematopoiesis, and organ development. It is also implicated in cancer biology, where it has been associated with tumor progression, metastasis, and the tumor microenvironment.
CXCR4 is often overexpressed in various types of cancers, including breast, lung, prostate, and pancreatic cancers. Its activation can promote tumor cell proliferation and survival.
-CXCR4 proteins associated with metastasis


Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱
3293- SIL,    Silymarin (milk thistle extract) as a therapeutic agent in gastrointestinal cancer
- Review, Var, NA
hepatoP↑, Silymarin has been shown to protect the liver in both experimental models and clinical studies.
TumMeta↓, In addition to its anti-metastatic activity, silymarin has also been reported to exhibit anti-inflammatory activity
Inflam↓,
chemoP↑, The chemoprotective effects of silymarin and silibinin (its major constituent) suggest they could be applied to reduce the side effects and increase the anti-cancer effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in various cancer types, especially in GC
radioP↑,
Half-Life↝, silibinin showed a 6-h half-life
*GSTs↑, Oral administration of silibinin leads to an increase in glutathione S-transferase (GST) and quinone reductase (QR) activity in the liver, stomach, lungs, small bowel, and skin, in a time- and dose-dependent manner
p‑JNK↑, Silymarin significantly up-regulated the levels of phosphorylated (p)-JNK, Bax, and p-p38, and cleaved poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP), while it down-regulated Bcl-2 and p-ERK1/2 expression, in a dose-dependent manner.
BAX↑,
p‑p38↑,
cl‑PARP↑,
Bcl-2↓,
p‑ERK↓,
TumVol↓, Silymarin (100 mg/kg) decreased the tumor volume in an AGS xenograft mouse model and increased apoptosis in the tumors.
eff↑, resveratrol, lycopene, sulforaphane, or silybinin have been shown to have anti-tumor activity, along with relatively low-toxicity to normal cells. Therefore they could be used in combination
TumCCA↑, Silibinin induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase in MGC803 cells
STAT3↓, Silybinin down-regulated p-STAT3 protein expression and also its downstream genes (such as Mcl-1, survivin, Bcl-xL, and STAT3).
Mcl-1↓,
survivin↓,
Bcl-xL↓,
Casp3↑, Silibinin increased caspase-3 and caspase-9 mRNA and protein expression levels.
Casp9↑,
eff↑, Therefore, the anti-cancer activity of silibinin might be enhanced by HDAC inhibitors
CXCR4↓, Silymarin significantly induced apoptosis and decreased the expression level of CXCR-4 in HepG2 cells in a concentration-dependent manner.
Dose↝, It has been shown to be tolerated by patients at a large dose (700 mg) thrice per day over six months

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↑, well as hepatoprotective agents.
chemoP↑, silymarin could be beneficial to oncology patients, especially for the treatment of the side effects of anticancer chemotherapeutics.
*lipid-P↓, Silymarin has been shown to significantly reduce lipid peroxidation and exhibit anti-oxidant, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, and hepatoprotective effects
*antiOx↑,
tumCV↓, reduces the viability, adhesion, and migration of tumor cells by induction of apoptosis and formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), reducing glutathione levels, B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), survivin, cyclin D1, Notch 1 intracellular domain (NICD),
TumCMig↓,
Apoptosis↑,
ROS↑,
GSH↓,
Bcl-2↓,
survivin↓,
cycD1/CCND1↓,
NOTCH1↓,
BAX↑, as well as enhancing the amount of Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) level (
NF-kB↓, The suppression of NK-κB-regulated gene products (e.g., cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), lipoxygenase (LOX), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and interleukin-1 (IL-1)) mediates the anti-inflammatory effect of silymarin
COX2↓,
LOX1↓,
iNOS↓,
TNF-α↓,
IL1↓,
Inflam↓,
*toxicity↓, Silymarin is also safe for humans, hence at therapeutic doses patients demonstrated no negative effects at the high dose of 700 mg, three times a day, for 24 weeks
CXCR4↓, fig 2
EGFR↓,
ERK↓,
MMP↓, reduction in mitochondrial transmembrane potential due to an increase in cytosolic cytochrome complex (Cyt c) levels.
Cyt‑c↑,
TumCCA↑, Moreover, silymarin increased the percentage of cells in the gap 0/gap 1 (G0/G1) phase and decreased the percentage of cells in the synthesis (S)-phase,
RB1↑, concomitant up-regulation of retinoblastoma protein (Rb), p53, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1 (p21Cip1), and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1B (p27Kip1)
P53↑,
P21↑,
p27↑,
cycE/CCNE↓, and down-regulation of cyclin D1, cyclin E, cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4), and phospho-Rb
CDK4↓,
p‑pRB↓,
Hif1a↓, silibinin inhibited proliferation of Hep3B cells due to simultaneous induction of apoptosis and prevented the accumulation
cMyc↓, Silibinin also reduces cellular myelocytomatosis oncogene (c-MYC) expression, a key regulator of cancer metabolism in pancreatic cancer cells
IL1β↓, Silymarin can also inhibit the production of inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), interferon-gamma (IFNγ),
IFN-γ↓,
PCNA↓, ilymarin suppresses the high proliferative activity of cells started with a carcinogen so that it significantly inhibits proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and cyclin D1 labeling indices
PSA↓, In another patent, S. marianum has been used as an estrogen receptor β-agonist and an inhibitor of PSA for treating prostate cancer
CYP1A1↓, Silymarin prevents the expression of CYP1A1 and COX-2

3301- SIL,    Critical review of therapeutic potential of silymarin in cancer: A bioactive polyphenolic flavonoid
- Review, Var, NA
Inflam↓, graphical abstract
TumCCA↑,
Apoptosis↓,
TumMeta↓,
TumCG↓,
angioG↓,
chemoP↑, The chemo-protective effects of silymarin and silibinin propose that they could be applied to decrease the side effects and increase the anti-tumor effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in different types of cancers.
radioP↑,
p‑ERK↓, fig 2
p‑p38↓,
p‑JNK↓,
P53↑,
Bcl-2↓,
Bcl-xL↓,
TGF-β↓,
MMP2↓,
MMP9↓,
E-cadherin↑,
Wnt↓,
Vim↓,
VEGF↓,
IL6↓,
STAT3↓,
*ROS↓,
IL1β↓,
PGE2↓,
CDK1↓, Causes cell cycle arrest by down-regulating CDK1, cyclinB1, survivin, Bcl-xl, Mcl-1 and activating caspase 3 and caspase 9,
CycB/CCNB1↓,
survivin↓,
Mcl-1↓,
Casp3↑,
Casp9↑,
cMyc↓, Silibinin treatment diminishes c-MYC
COX2↓, Silibinin considerably down-regulated the expression of COX-2, HIF-1α, VEGF, Ang-2, Ang-4, MMP-2, MMP-9, CCR-2 and CXCR-4
Hif1a↓,
CXCR4↓,
CSCs↓, HCT-116 cells, Induction of apoptosis, suppression of migration, elimination of CSCs. Attenuation of EMT via decreased expression of N- cadherin and vimentin and increased expression of (E-cadherin).
EMT↓,
N-cadherin↓,
PCNA↓, Decrease in PCNA and cyclin D1 level.
cycD1/CCND1↓,
ROS↑, Hepatocellular carcinoma: Silymarin nanoemulsion reduced the cell viability and increased ROS intensity and chromatin condensation.
eff↑, Silymarin + Curcumin
eff↑, Silibinin + Metformin
eff↑, Silibinin + 1, 25-vitamin D3
HER2/EBBR2↓, Significant down regulation of HER2 by 150 and 250 µM of silybin after 24, 48 and 72 h.


* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 3

Pathway results for Effect on Cancer / Diseased Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

CYP1A1↓, 1,   GSH↓, 1,   ROS↑, 2,  

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics ⓘ

MMP↓, 1,  

Core Metabolism/Glycolysis ⓘ

cMyc↓, 2,  

Cell Death ⓘ

Apoptosis↓, 1,   Apoptosis↑, 1,   BAX↑, 2,   Bcl-2↓, 3,   Bcl-xL↓, 2,   Casp3↑, 2,   Casp9↑, 2,   Cyt‑c↑, 1,   iNOS↓, 1,   p‑JNK↓, 1,   p‑JNK↑, 1,   Mcl-1↓, 2,   p27↑, 1,   p‑p38↓, 1,   p‑p38↑, 1,   survivin↓, 3,  

Kinase & Signal Transduction ⓘ

HER2/EBBR2↓, 1,  

Transcription & Epigenetics ⓘ

p‑pRB↓, 1,   tumCV↓, 1,  

DNA Damage & Repair ⓘ

P53↑, 2,   cl‑PARP↑, 1,   PCNA↓, 2,  

Cell Cycle & Senescence ⓘ

CDK1↓, 1,   CDK4↓, 1,   CycB/CCNB1↓, 1,   cycD1/CCND1↓, 2,   cycE/CCNE↓, 1,   P21↑, 1,   RB1↑, 1,   TumCCA↑, 3,  

Proliferation, Differentiation & Cell State ⓘ

CSCs↓, 1,   EMT↓, 1,   ERK↓, 1,   p‑ERK↓, 2,   NOTCH1↓, 1,   STAT3↓, 2,   TumCG↓, 1,   Wnt↓, 1,  

Migration ⓘ

E-cadherin↑, 1,   MMP2↓, 1,   MMP9↓, 1,   N-cadherin↓, 1,   TGF-β↓, 1,   TumCMig↓, 1,   TumMeta↓, 2,   Vim↓, 1,  

Angiogenesis & Vasculature ⓘ

angioG↓, 1,   EGFR↓, 1,   Hif1a↓, 2,   LOX1↓, 1,   VEGF↓, 1,  

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

COX2↓, 2,   CXCR4↓, 3,   IFN-γ↓, 1,   IL1↓, 1,   IL1β↓, 2,   IL6↓, 1,   Inflam↓, 3,   NF-kB↓, 1,   PGE2↓, 1,   PSA↓, 1,   TNF-α↓, 1,  

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

Dose↝, 1,   eff↑, 5,   Half-Life↝, 1,  

Clinical Biomarkers ⓘ

EGFR↓, 1,   HER2/EBBR2↓, 1,   IL6↓, 1,   PSA↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

chemoP↑, 3,   hepatoP↑, 2,   radioP↑, 2,   TumVol↓, 1,  
Total Targets: 78

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:


Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

antiOx↑, 1,   GSTs↑, 1,   lipid-P↓, 1,   ROS↓, 1,  

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

toxicity↓, 1,  
Total Targets: 5

Scientific Paper Hit Count for: CXCR4, Chemokine Receptor Type 4
3 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#:79  State#:%  Dir#:%
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