Title:The Radioprotective Potentials of Silymarin/Silibinin Against Radiotherapy-
Induced Toxicities: A Systematic Review of Clinical and Experimental
Studies
Volume: 30
Issue: 33
Author(s): Gloria Alexandra Latacela, Pushpamala Ramaiah*, Indrajit Patra, Abduladheem Turki Jalil*, Reena Gupta, Fakhriddin Akhmadovich Madaminov, Shafik Shaker Shafik, Moaed Emran Al-Gazally, Mohammad Javed Ansari, Mahmoud Kandeel, Yasser Fakri Mustafa and Bagher Farhood*
Affiliation:
- Faculty of Nursing, Umm Al-Qura University, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
- Medical Laboratories Techniques Department, Al-Mustaqbal University College,
Babylon, Hilla, 51001, Iraq
- Department
of Medical Physics and Radiology, Faculty of Paramedical Sciences, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
Keywords:
Cancer, radiotherapy, silymarin, silibinin, anti-oxidant, anti-apoptosis, anti-inflammatory.
Abstract:
Background: Although radiotherapy is one of the main cancer treatment modalities, exposing
healthy organs/tissues to ionizing radiation during treatment can lead to different adverse effects.
In this regard, it has been shown that the use of radioprotective agents may alleviate the ionizing
radiation-induced toxicities.
Objective: The present study aims to review the radioprotective potentials of silymarin/silibinin in
the prevention/reduction of ionizing radiation-induced adverse effects on healthy cells/tissues.
Methods: Based on PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive and systematic search was performed
for identifying relevant literature on the “potential protective role of silymarin/silibinin in the treatment
of radiotherapy-induced toxicities” in the different electronic databases of Web of Science,
PubMed, and Scopus up to April 2022. Four hundred and fifty-five articles were obtained and
screened in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the current study. Finally, 19 papers
were included in this systematic review.
Results: The findings revealed that the ionizing radiation-treated groups had reduced survival rates
and body weight in comparison with the control groups. It was also found that radiation can induce
mild to severe adverse effects on the skin, digestive, hematologic, lymphatic, respiratory, reproductive,
and urinary systems. Nevertheless, the administration of silymarin/silibinin could mitigate the
ionizing radiation-induced adverse effects in most cases. This herbal agent exerts its radioprotective
effects through anti-oxidant, anti-apoptosis, anti-inflammatory activities, and other mechanisms.
Conclusion: The results of the current systematic review showed that co-treatment of silymarin/silibinin
with radiotherapy alleviates the radiotherapy-induced adverse effects in healthy cells/tissues
