LAssessment of the preventive effects of Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn. seeds hydroethanolic extract and silymarin on complete Freund's adjuvant-induced arthritis in wistar rats

This study aims to evaluate the antiarthritic activity of milk thistle and silymarin in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced arthritis in male rats. Rheumatoid arthritis was induced by injection of 0.2 ml of CFA into the right hind leg at two consecutive days. These rats were treated with milk thistle seeds hydroethanolic extract ( MTHE) (100 mg/kg b.wt/day) and silymarin (100 mg/kg b.wt/day) for 9 and 18 days. MTHE and silymarin ameliorated the CFA-induced increase in paw circumference, serum RF, TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-17 and PGE2, and liver lipid peroxidation. They also corrected the CFA-induced decrease in serum IL-4 level and antioxidant defense system. Moreover, both treatments reduced the synovial hyperplasia and inflammation in ankle joints as well as lymphoblastic necrosis and mitotic figures in spleen and thymus of arthritic rats. In conclusion, MTHE and silymarin have antiarthritic efficacies which may be mediated via their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in CFA-induced arthritic rats.