Biosafety and antioxidant effects of a beverage containing silymarin and arginine. A pilot, human intervention cross-over trial

• Published in: Food and chemical toxicology 2013-06, Vol.56, p.178-183
• Main Authors: Valentová, Kateřina, Vidlář, Aleš, Zatloukalová, Martina, Stuchlík, Milan, Vacek, Jan, Šimánek, Vilím, Ulrichová, Jitka
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; adverse effects; antioxidant activity; antioxidants; Antioxidants - administration & dosage; arginine; Arginine - administration & dosage; Beverages; Biological and medical sciences; biosafety; blood proteins; blood serum; catalase; Catalase - blood; Cross-Over Studies; Dietary Supplements; Erythrocyte protection; erythrocytes; Erythrocytes - drug effects; Erythrocytes - metabolism; Flavonolignan; gamma-glutamyltransferase; gamma-Glutamyltransferase - blood; glutathione; Glutathione - blood; glutathione peroxidase; Glutathione Peroxidase - blood; Glutathione Reductase - blood; glutathione transferase; Glutathione Transferase - blood; glutathione-disulfide reductase; Humans; Intervention trial; l-Arginine; Male; malondialdehyde; Malondialdehyde - blood; Medical sciences; men; Middle Aged; oxidation; Oxidative stress; Pilot Projects; silymarin; Silymarin - administration & dosage; superoxide dismutase; Superoxide Dismutase - blood; Toxicology; urine; volunteers
• ISSN: 0278-6915; 1873-6351
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2013.02.023

► 400mg silymarin with 295mg l-arginine daily for 10days in healthy men is safe. ► Most biochemical, hematological and urodynamic parameters remained unchanged. ► Serum GGT; MDA and GST in erythrocytes were decreased. ► Silymarin binds to erythrocytes and probably protects them against free radicals. ► Silymarin containing beverage is an alternative way for its supplementation. The study objective was to investigate the potential of a beverage containing silymarin and l-arginine to alter basic physiological and urodynamic parameters in 22 normal healthy men aged 38–59years. The volunteers drank 500ml/day beverage without silymarin and l-arginine for 10days followed, after a 7-day washout period, by the beverage with 400mg silymarin and 295mg l-arginine for 10days. Blood and urine samples were collected on days 0, 10 and 27. The beverages were well-tolerated with no adverse effects. Most of the biochemical, hematological and urodynamic parameters remained unchanged. Total antioxidant capacity, total level of antioxidants, lipoperoxidation products (malondialdehyde), advanced oxidation products of proteins in plasma and glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, superoxide dismutase and catalase levels in erythrocytes were not influenced. Serum γ-glutamyl transferase, malondialdehyde level and activity of glutathione S-transferase in erythrocytes were lowered at day 27 and the concentration of total plasma SH-groups was higher on day 10. Using an ex vivo system, we found that silymarin/silybin at 10–100μM is able to adsorb onto human erythrocytes and the complexes displayed antioxidant properties as studied using ex situ square-wave voltammetry. The trial showed that silymarin in vivo may protect erythrocytes against oxidative damage.