Silymarin Milk Thistle Extract May Inhibit Hepatitis C Virus Entry into Cells

“SUMMARY: Silymarin, an extract from the milk thistle plant, has an inhibitory effect on the hepatitis C virus (HCV) polymerase in laboratory studies, but its anti-HCV action also appears to include blocking HCV from entering cells and preventing cell-to-cell transmission, according to research described in the June 2010 issue of Hepatology.”

(More in the overview…)

http://www.hivandhepatitis.com/hep_c/news/2010/0820_2010_a.html

--Bill

[Anne1717]

Cool !!

[pilgrim1951]

When I had just started tx at UPenn in 2008, my doctor told me they had been contracted to do a study on Milk Thistle for the government.  I never heard anything more about it.  I wonder if it ever got off the ground.

[mhudnall]

The newest application is intravenous milk thistle extract.

"High doses—15 or 20 mg/kg/day—of IV silibinin alone caused a significant decline (between 100- and 10,000-fold) in HCV levels. The addition of interferon-ribavirin resulted in a further decline in virus levels."

http://www.catie.ca/catienews.nsf/00a48c8905294f0b8525717f00661eb8/8a96f3de84f0500b8525754b00586b59!OpenDocument

[eureka254]

It's encouraging to see research into natural as well as synthetic prohibitors to hcv.  In countries where hepatitis is more widespread, silymarin as well as a number of other natural extracts (SST is very popular in Japan, for example) have been widely used by the medical community to treat patients with hcv.  I think silymarin and similar substances, being classified as "supplements" from the FDA-regulation standpoint, make for less accessibility to reliable data and thereby less confidence from physicians (and patients) in the United States.

Though it's important to recognize that these supplements have not demonstrated any efficacy inducing SVR, IMHO it is just important to explore as many avenues as possible to reduce liver damage for those hcv'ers who are not candidates for treatment.  

Good post, thanks! :) ~eureka