The Effect of Oral Administration of Silymarin on Serum Levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor-Α and Interleukin-1ß in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Publisher Pubmed



Shavandi M^{1, 2} ; Yazdani Y³ ; Asar S⁴ ; Mohammadi A⁵ ; Mohammadinoori E⁶ ; Kiani A⁷
Source: Iranian Journal of Immunology Published:2022

Abstract

Background: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a systemic chronic autoimmune disease. Several inflammatory agents play key roles in RA pathogenesis, among which tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) are of great importance. Silymarin is a potent anti-oxidant extracted from Silybummarianum L. seeds. Objective: To study the effect of silymarin on serum levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in patients with RA. Methods: Patients with stable RA received 140 mg of silymarin, 3 times a day, for 3 months. Serum samples were collected before and after the treatment. Both TNF-α and IL-1β serum levels were measured by ELISA. Results: 42 patients (14.3% male, and 85.7% female, with a mean age of 47.59±12.8 years old) completed the treatment course. There was no significant difference in the overall mean concentration of either TNF-α (P=0.14) or IL-1β (P=0.27) in all 42 patients after the treatment with Silymarin. Conclusion: The addition of Silymarin to the treatment regimen of patients with stable RA has no significant effect on the serum levels of TNF-α and IL-1β, however, this study needs further evaluation with a larger sample size. © 2022, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.