Natural Products Journal, The - Volume 15, Issue 4, 2025

Milk thistle extract is widely used in dietary supplements due to its strong hepatoprotective effect. There are some differences in the quality characteristics and standard values of milk thistle extract set by pharmacopoeias and standards in various countries and regions.

To promote the standardization of quality standards for milk thistle extract, this paper summarized and compared the standard characteristics and related values settings in four different standards. At the same time, actual samples were tested for the characteristics that appeared more frequently in standard. We found that the ratio algorithm of silymarin set in the pharmacopoeia standards was not reasonable and could blur the quality of related products from the test results, especially without limiting the total amount of silymarin in the standard.

We suggested setting standard values for all six silymarin characteristics, establishing more universal detection methods, and preparing relevant reference materials to match the detection methods. Based on the comparison of standards and test data, the characteristics of the ethanol content, ethyl acetate content, methanol insoluble substances, heavy metal content, and microbial characteristics should draw more attention and should be considered in the future for setting newly formulated standards.

This paper lays the data foundation for developing higher quality standards for milk thistle extract, which plays an important role in promoting the international trade of milk thistle extract.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease progressing towards a substantial global health concern. A multitude of therapeutic agents are being used to treat MAFLD. The high prevalence and adverse effects of drugs have increased the global popularity of herbal medicines (HMs) as effective therapeutic agents to treat MAFLD. Among the causes of pathogenesis, insulin resistance (IR) plays a crucial role in MAFLD. Hence, the amelioration of IR has emerged as a promising target for potential therapeutic approaches in MAFLD.

This study aimed to explore in vitro and in vivo mechanisms that unveil recent advances in HMs that target the amelioration of IR in MAFLD.

Electronic databases, including PubMed and MEDLINE, were used to search literature for HMs in the management or treatment of NAFLD published up to March, 2023. The three primary search terms were “MAFLD” “NAFLD” and “HM”. MeSH of NAFLD, such as (Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis) and HM (Medicinal plants, Plant extracts), and keywords were used to optimize the search strategy.

HMs act on a multitude of molecular pathways that increase insulin sensitization including upregulation of the secretion and activation of insulin receptor substrate (IRS) proteins, upregulation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT (also known as PKB or protein kinase B) signaling pathway, activation of the 5' AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway and modulation of enzymes of glucose homeostasis, regeneration of the pancreatic β-cell mass, modulation of secretion of adipokines, enhancement of the uptake of glucose into tissues via increased expression of GLUT in tissues, and upregulation of FGF1/FGF1R signaling pathway.

HMs possess a multitude of potential actions that reduce the IR and improve glucose homeostasis. Hence, HMs are a promising resource as effective medications for the treatment of MAFLD.

Anacyclus pyrethrum is used in Ayurveda to treat various ailments, ranging from toothache to female infertility. However, the molecular mechanisms of its medicinal properties are obscure and need exploratory studies.

We aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms associated with the medicinal properties of A. pyrethrum using zebrafish as an in vivo model. We have employed in silico, in vitro, and in vivo approaches to elucidate the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and cytoprotective functions of the methanolic extracts of A. pyrethrum. In silico analyses were carried out using Prediction of Activity Spectra for Substances (PASS), Molecular Inspiration, Swiss Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion and Toxicity - ADME (SWISSADME), Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion, and Toxicity - Structure-Activity Relationship(ADMETSar) and molecular docking tools to prove the anti-inflammatory effects of the bioactive components of A. pyrethrum.

Our results indicate that the bioactive components of A. pyrethrum have pharmaceutical properties with high intestinal absorption and greater bioavailability. Further, in vitro and in vivo results support the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antitoxic effects of methanolic extract of A. pyrethrum via suppressing the levels of the inflammatory and Reactive oxygen species biomarkers, including Lactate Dehydrogenase, Myeloperoxidase, Nitric Oxide, and Lipid peroxidase respectively.

The results obtained from three different approaches in this study highlight the potential anti-inflammatory, antitoxic, and antioxidant effects of A. pyrethrum.