The Role of Silymarin in Mitigating Inflammation and Cognitive Impairment Induced by Ovariectomy in Wistar Rats

Background. Silymarin, a polyphenolic flavonoid found in milk thistle, has been used to treat liver and brain injuries in humans and animals. The study aims to investigate the protective effects of silymarin on spatial and passive avoidance memory, oxidative stress, and inflammatory factors in the b...

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Main Authors: Razieh Moalefshahri, Hossein Javid, Fatemeh Gheybi, Somaye Fallahnezhad, Seyed Isaac Hashemy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2023-01-01
Series:Mediators of Inflammation
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/6639533
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author Razieh Moalefshahri
Hossein Javid
Fatemeh Gheybi
Somaye Fallahnezhad
Seyed Isaac Hashemy
author_facet Razieh Moalefshahri
Hossein Javid
Fatemeh Gheybi
Somaye Fallahnezhad
Seyed Isaac Hashemy
author_sort Razieh Moalefshahri
collection DOAJ
description Background. Silymarin, a polyphenolic flavonoid found in milk thistle, has been used to treat liver and brain injuries in humans and animals. The study aims to investigate the protective effects of silymarin on spatial and passive avoidance memory, oxidative stress, and inflammatory factors in the brain and liver tissues of ovariectomized (OVX) Wistar rats. Methods. The study involved 30 female Wistar rats divided into control, sham, and three silymarin-treated groups. After ovariectomy, rats underwent CT scan, and some of them were administered silymarin via gavage for 2 months. Memory and learning were assessed using Morris water maze and shuttle box tests. Brain and liver tissues were analyzed for inflammatory factors (IL-1β, TNFα, and IL-6) and oxidative stress markers (CAT, SOD, and MDA) after sacrifice. Results. Silymarin improved spatial memory and fear learning compared to the sham group (P≤0.05 to P≤0.001). It also significantly reduced IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 levels in the cortex, hippocampus, and liver (P≤0.05 to P≤0.0001) and increased CAT and SOD while decreasing MDA levels (P≤0.05 to P≤0.001) compared to control and sham groups. Conclusion. Long-term administration of silymarin extract can improve learning and memory, reverse cognitive impairment caused by ovariectomy, and reduce oxidative stress and inflammatory factors induced by ovariectomy in the liver and brain of Wistar rats. This is due to the reduction in MDA levels and an increase in CAT activity, although silymarin has some effect on SOD at high doses.
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spelling doaj-art-aca647515b6b4288b899d8454c3f4c662025-02-03T06:45:38ZengWileyMediators of Inflammation1466-18612023-01-01202310.1155/2023/6639533The Role of Silymarin in Mitigating Inflammation and Cognitive Impairment Induced by Ovariectomy in Wistar RatsRazieh Moalefshahri0Hossein Javid1Fatemeh Gheybi2Somaye Fallahnezhad3Seyed Isaac Hashemy4Department of Clinical BiochemistryDepartment of Clinical BiochemistryDepartment of Medical BiotechnologyNervous System Stem Cells Research CenterDepartment of Clinical BiochemistryBackground. Silymarin, a polyphenolic flavonoid found in milk thistle, has been used to treat liver and brain injuries in humans and animals. The study aims to investigate the protective effects of silymarin on spatial and passive avoidance memory, oxidative stress, and inflammatory factors in the brain and liver tissues of ovariectomized (OVX) Wistar rats. Methods. The study involved 30 female Wistar rats divided into control, sham, and three silymarin-treated groups. After ovariectomy, rats underwent CT scan, and some of them were administered silymarin via gavage for 2 months. Memory and learning were assessed using Morris water maze and shuttle box tests. Brain and liver tissues were analyzed for inflammatory factors (IL-1β, TNFα, and IL-6) and oxidative stress markers (CAT, SOD, and MDA) after sacrifice. Results. Silymarin improved spatial memory and fear learning compared to the sham group (P≤0.05 to P≤0.001). It also significantly reduced IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 levels in the cortex, hippocampus, and liver (P≤0.05 to P≤0.0001) and increased CAT and SOD while decreasing MDA levels (P≤0.05 to P≤0.001) compared to control and sham groups. Conclusion. Long-term administration of silymarin extract can improve learning and memory, reverse cognitive impairment caused by ovariectomy, and reduce oxidative stress and inflammatory factors induced by ovariectomy in the liver and brain of Wistar rats. This is due to the reduction in MDA levels and an increase in CAT activity, although silymarin has some effect on SOD at high doses.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/6639533
spellingShingle Razieh Moalefshahri
Hossein Javid
Fatemeh Gheybi
Somaye Fallahnezhad
Seyed Isaac Hashemy
The Role of Silymarin in Mitigating Inflammation and Cognitive Impairment Induced by Ovariectomy in Wistar Rats
Mediators of Inflammation
title The Role of Silymarin in Mitigating Inflammation and Cognitive Impairment Induced by Ovariectomy in Wistar Rats
title_full The Role of Silymarin in Mitigating Inflammation and Cognitive Impairment Induced by Ovariectomy in Wistar Rats
title_fullStr The Role of Silymarin in Mitigating Inflammation and Cognitive Impairment Induced by Ovariectomy in Wistar Rats
title_full_unstemmed The Role of Silymarin in Mitigating Inflammation and Cognitive Impairment Induced by Ovariectomy in Wistar Rats
title_short The Role of Silymarin in Mitigating Inflammation and Cognitive Impairment Induced by Ovariectomy in Wistar Rats
title_sort role of silymarin in mitigating inflammation and cognitive impairment induced by ovariectomy in wistar rats
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/6639533
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