Document Type : Original Article
Authors
- Mehrdad Shavandi 1, 2
- Yasaman Yazdani 3
- Shirin Asar 4
- Arash Mohammadi 5
- Ehsan Mohammadi-noori 6
- Amir Kiani 7
1 Students’ Research Committee, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
2 Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
3 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
4 Department of Internal Medicine, Imam Reza Hospital, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
5 School of Dentistry, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
6 Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
7 Regenerative Medicine Research Center (RMRC), Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
Abstract
Background: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a systemic chronic autoimmune disease. Several inflammatory agents play key roles in RA pathogenesis, among which tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) are of great importance. Silymarin is a potent anti-oxidant extracted from Silybummarianum L. seeds.
Objective: To study the effect of silymarin on serum levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in patients with RA.
Methods: Patients with stable RA received 140 mg of silymarin, 3 times a day, for 3 months. Serum samples were collected before and after the treatment. Both TNF-α and IL-1β serum levels were measured by ELISA.
Results: 42 patients (14.3% male, and 85.7% female, with a mean age of 47.59±12.8 years old) completed the treatment course. There was no significant difference in the overall mean concentration of either TNF-α (p=0.14) or IL-1β (p=0.27) in all 42 patients after the treatment with silymarin.
Conclusion: The addition of silymarin to the treatment regimen of patients with stable RA has no significant effect on the serum levels of TNF-α and IL-1β, however, this study needs further evaluation with a larger sample size.
Keywords
)