ABSTRACT

In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects of Silymarin in rats in whom artificial acute pulmonary damage was provided with caecal ligation-perforation method.

Forty-six rats were randomized to sham (n=14), control (n=16), silymarin (n=16) groups. Each group had early and late subgroups. Silimarin was administered in the silimarin group and saline was administerd in control and sham groups. Artificial acute pulmonary damage associated with sepsis was provided with caecal ligation-perforation method in control and silimarin groups. Rats in the early subgroup Were terminated at the end of the 12th hour and threats in the late group were followed-up. Serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1beta, and IL-6; lung tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) levels; lung histopathologic examination; and lung wet-to-dry (w/d) weight ratio measurements were used to compare and evaluate the severity of lung injury between the groups.

Mortality rates for silymarin and control groups were 62.5% and 12.5%, respectively (log-rank p=0.0506). Compared with the silymarin group, the control group exhibited significantly more severe lung injury, as indicated by higher mean values for serum and BAL TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-6 (p<0.05 for all measurements), total lung histopathologic injury score (p=0.001), w/d (p=0.019) and lung-tissue MDA (p=0.011) levels. Lung tissue GSH levels were significantly higher in silymarin group than control group (p=0.001).

Silymarin reduces the severity of sepsis induced-acute lung injury and may also improve survival in a cecal ligation and perforation rat model. These beneficial effects of this agent are probably due to its inhibitory effects on inflammatory process and oxidative injury.

Keywords: Silymarin, acute lung injury, antioxidant, antiinflammatory