Comparison of the Therapeutic Effects of Silymarin and Nanosilymarin on Hepatotoxicity Induced by Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles

Recent studies have indicated that titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) are toxic for human. Silymarin is a well-known hepatoprotective drug. In this study, the nanoprecipitation technique was used for nanocrystals to improve the solubility of silymarin. The aim of this study was to analyze the protective role of silymarin and its nanocrystal on liver damage due to TiO2 NPs in rat.
In this experimental study, rats were divided to five groups in separate cages: Control, vehicle, toxic group (150 mg/kg TiO2 NPs for three weeks orally) as well as silymarin and silymarin NPs groups (100 mg/kg for three weeks orally after TiO2 NPs administration). Then, the serum level of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) as well as the liver histological changes were investigated.
Oral administration of Tio2 NPs resulted in significantly elevated levels of ALT, AST and ALP of serum and significantly increased the core diameter of hepatocytes (P : The results from the present study indicated that silymarin and its nanocrystal probably due to antioxidant effects cause hepatoprotective against TiO2 NPs-induced liver injury.