10.3969/j.issn.2095-4344.2013.26.017

Contemporary Western medicines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB), although available in China, have high costs, or major side effects and limited effectiveness. Research efforts have focused on looking for natural products as alternative medicines with low cost and good safety for CHB treatment. Chinese medicine (CM) has ancient, time-honored theories about methods of diagnosis and treatment for liver diseases. In recent decades, a large number of clinical trials and pre-clinical studies, which were performed in China and other countries, indicated that CM has potential benefit in several aspects of the treatment of CHB, e.g., anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antioxidant, immunomodulating, antifibrosis, and antiviral. However, there are many concerns regarding the study design and the quality of clinical trials. Further larger, stringently designed, double-blind, placebo control, randomized clinical trials and long-term follow-up are needed to provide conclusive evidence of their efficacy and safety. Components of CM deserve further study in pre-clinical models of HBV infection and in clinical trials world-wide.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; World Health Organization

OBJECTIVE: To determine the hepatoprotective effect of silymarin with Chang cell cultures. Specifically, to investigate the antioxidant properties of silymarin and its protective function in reducing pro-apoptotic markers. METHODS: Intracellular free radical levels were assessed with dichlorofluorescein (DCF) fluorescence after exposing cells to an oxidative stress of 400 μmol/L H2O2 for 20 min. Levels of cellular ATP and bax expression were examined to evaluate the protective effects of silymarin. RESULTS: Silymarin significantly reduced the DCF fluorescence signal. Cell viability, assessed by the MTT assay, showed that silymarin enhanced the cell growth. Drug treatment was also associated with enhanced ATP levels, and reduced Bax and protein mRNA levels. CONCLUSION Silymarin can function as a hepatoprotectant against free radical damage due to oxidative stress. The protective nature extends to reducing levels of pro-apoptotic Bax protein. Silymarin may be a useful adjuvant for the treatment of specific liver diseases.
Adenosine Triphosphate ; metabolism ; Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Line ; Fluoresceins ; Free Radicals ; metabolism ; Hepatocytes ; cytology ; metabolism ; Humans ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; Protective Agents ; pharmacology ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Silymarin ; pharmacology ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; genetics ; metabolism