Silymarin Contents and Liver Protection Effects of Six Domestic Cultivated Thistles

Six kinds of domestically cultivated thistles were collected and studied to compare their silymarin contents, antioxidant activity alcohol detoxification and liver protection effects using rat primary hepatocyte. There are Cirsium pendulum, Cirsium setidens, Carduus crispus, Cirsium japonicum, Cirsium japonicum nakaisanum, and Cirsium japonicum spinosissimum . Six types of thistles leaves were extracted using 80% ethanol and among samples, Cirsium pendulum thistle showed highest silymarin content (61.2 mg/g DW), alcohol detoxification (15.2 mU/mL) and antioxidant activity (ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging effects). Also, Cirsium pendulum extract showed a 85% liver protection function over ethanol or hydrogen peroxide treated rat primary hepatocytes, similar effect with silymarin (87%) as positive control. In conclusion, those results indicated that Cirsium pendulum extract is likely a superior functional food ingre-dient with liver protection and alcohol detoxification.