The potential of cultivated milk thistle by-products as cancer chemopreventive and anti-inflammatory drugs

Background and objectives Seeds of Silybum marianum (milk thistle), growing wild in Egypt, have been used since ancient times in traditional medicine. This study aims at identifying chemical and bioactivity properties of the oil of the seeds of cultivated S. marianum, obtained by cold pressing, as well as the extracts of the leaves. The prepared extracts were tested for their cancer chemoprevention and anti-inflammatory activities. Materials and methods The phytochemical constituents of cold-pressed seed oil and extracts of the leave were determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), respectively. The prepared extracts were tested for their cancer chemopreventive and anti-inflammatory activities. Results and conclusion HPLC profiling of leaves extract indicated that gallic acid and naringenin are the major phenolic acid and flavonoid, respectively. Additionally, HPLC analyses indicated the presence of seven main active components of silymarin in seeds. The total extract from leaves caused a moderate NAD(P)H-quinone oxidoreductase 1 protein induction and inducible nitric oxide synthase protein expression inhibition. Conclusion Cultivated S. marianum (milk thistle) by-products (oil and leaves) could have possible applications in food and pharmaceutical industry