Histopathological and Biochemical Investigation of Silymarin’s Inhibitory Effect on the Formation of Obesity Induced by High Fat Diet in Rats

Year 2025, Volume: 15 Issue: 2, 123 - 132, 31.08.2025

İsmail Keleş , Zübeyir Huyut , Ömer Faruk Keleş , Zabit Yener

Abstract

Aim: Obesity is a health problem caused by excessive fat accumulation in the body and can lead to many health complications. Nurses play an important role in managing the care of patients struggling with obesity. This study investigated the restorative effect of silymarin on obesity induced by a high-fat diet (HFD).
Materials and Methods: In this study, 32 rats were randomly divided into four groups (n=8). Control: no action. Obesity: was fed with HFD. Silymarin: 3 mg/kg silymarin was given by orogastric gavage daily. Obesity+silymarin: 3 mg/kg silymarin daily was given in addition to HFD. Liver function tests and lipid profile values were measured in serum samples, and the liver was examined histopathologically.
Results: Macro-microvesicular fatty changes and coagulation necrosis were observed in centrilobular hepatocytes in livers of the obesity group, while a normal histological appearance of the liver was viewed in the obesity+silymarin group. In the obesity group, ALP and LDH activities in addition to triglyceride levels were significantly higher than control, while these values in the obesity+silymarin group were similar to control.
Conclusions: Silymarin largely prevented fatty liver changes and significantly restored impaired lipid profile and liver function tests in rats fed with HFD.

Keywords

liver function tests , lipid profile , histopathology , nurse care , obesity , silymarin

References

• 1. Cho H, Lee J-Y, Choi SY, Lim C, Park MK, An H, et al. Identification of a New Chemotype of Anti-Obesity Compounds by Ensemble Screening. ACS omega. 2020;5(8):4338–46.
• 2. Rangel-Huerta OD, Pastor-Villaescusa B, Gil A. Are we close to defining a metabolomic signature of human obesity? A systematic review of metabolomics studies. Metabolomics. 2019;15(6):1–31.
• 3. Emerenziani S, Guarino MPL, Asensio LMT, Altomare A, Ribolsi M, Balestrieri P, et al. Role of Overweight and Obesity in Gastrointestinal. Nutrients. 2020;12, 111:1–14.
• 4. Uyar A, Esin E. Ukase Badly Diet Nile Beseem Rattled Mate (Alex parturiencies) Cayenne Obesity Oleic Jettisoning Waistcoat Ave Bio Lark Barratry. Hara Universities Veterinary Faults Derision. 2018;7(2):154–161.
• 5. Yılmaz Güven D, Beyza A, Çelik EN. Barbituric Craig Iguana Australia Emerge Balky Decahedron Alienable Synclines. Turk Encircle Denned Derision. 2021;2(2):100–10.
• 6. Koleva N. Türkiye’de Obezite ve Kronik Hastalıkların Kadınlar Üzerinde Etkenleri ve Riskleri Araştırması. HÜ Sağlık Bilimleri Fakültesi Dergisi. 2016;3(1):102–3.
• 7. Alma A, Marconi GD, Rossi E, Magnoni C, Paganelli A. Obesity and Wound Healing: Focus on Mesenchymal Stem Cells. Life. 2023;13(3):717.
• 8. Koh Y-M, Jang S-W, Ahn T-W. Anti-obesity effect of Yangkyuksanwha-tang in high-fat diet-induced obese mice. BMC complementary and alternative medicine. 2019;19(1):1–12.
• 9. Zehra C, Şahin S. Kadın sağlığında obezite. Journal of Human Rhythm. 2018;4(2):98–103.
• 10. Erdemir F. The evaluation of the relationship between obesity and male infertility. DJ Colin Anal Mead. 2013;4(1):76–82.
• 11. Großschädl F, Bauer S. The relationship between obesity and nursing care problems in intensive care patients in Austria. Nursing in critical care. 2022;27(4):512–18.
• 12. Tak YJ, Lee SY. Anti-obesity drugs: long-term efficacy and safety: an updated review. The World Journal of Men’s Health. 2021;39(2):208.
• 13. Padwal RS, Majumdar SR. Drug treatments for obesity: orlistat, sibutramine, and rimonabant. The Lancet. 2007;369(9555):71–7.
• 14. Ince N, Kaya Ş, Yıldız İE, Parlak E, Bayar B. Use of complementary and alternative medicine in patients with chronic viral hepatitis in Turkey. Complementary therapies in medicine. 2020;48:102229.
• 15. Zörgő S, Peters G-JY, Mkhitaryan S. Attitudes underlying reliance on complementary and alternative medicine. Integrative Cancer Therapies. 2020;19:1534735420910472.
• 16. Khaleghipour B, Khosravinia H, Toghiyani M, Azarfar A. Efficacy of silymarin-nanohydrogle complex in attenuation of aflatoxins toxicity in Japanese quails. Italian Journal of Animal Science. 2020;19(1):351–9.
• 17. El-Desoky F, Gaber AE-H, Holah NS, S. Radwan E, Daba MY, Yassin A, et al. Protective effect of caffeine and curcumin versus silymarin on nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in rats. Menoufia Medical Journal. 2020;33(1):196–204.
• 18. Viktorova J, Stranska-Zachariasova M, Fenclova M, Vitek L, Hajslova J, Kren V, et al. Complex evaluation of antioxidant capacity of milk thistle dietary supplements. Antioxidants. 2019;8(8):317.
• 19. Yang M, Sun F, Zhou Y, He M, Yao P, Peng Y, et al. Preventive effect of lemon seed flavonoids on carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury in mice. RSC Advances. 2020;10(22):12800–9.
• 20. Eren HB, Sevgi Ş. Ferryman Dike Bikini Klan Exactly Ave Type Tarnish Pachysandra Synclines. Mersin Üniversitesi Type Fakültesi Lokman Hekim Type Tarnish ve Folklorik Type Dergisi. 2020;10(1):23–7.
• 21. Günbatar N. Ratlarda yüksek oranda doymuş yağlı diyet ile aralıklı beslemenin deneysel kolon kanseri gelişimi ve bazı serum inflamasyon markırları üzerine etkisi, YYÜ. Sağ Bil Enst Doktora Tezi, s. 2014;79.
• 22. Li S, He N, Wang L. Efficiently anti-obesity effects of unsaturated alginate oligosaccharides (UAOS) in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. Marine drugs. 2019;17(9):540.
• 23. Zheng J, Zheng S, Feng Q, Zhang Q, Xiao X. Dietary capsaicin and its anti-obesity potency: from mechanism to clinical implications. Bioscience reports. 2017;37(3).
• 24. Pan H, Fu C, Huang L, Jiang Y, Deng X, Guo J, et al. Antiobesity effect of chitosan oligosaccharide capsules (COSCs) in obese rats by ameliorating leptin resistance and adipogenesis. Marine drugs. 2018;16(6):198.
• 25. Khan MI, Shin JH, Kim JD. Crude microcystins extracted from Microcystis aeruginosa exert anti-obesity effects by downregulating angiogenesis and adipogenesis related signaling molecules in HUVEC and 3 T3-L1 cells. BMC complementary and alternative medicine. 2019;19(1):1–10.
• 26. Zhao B, Cui Y, Fan X, Qi P, Liu C, Zhou X, et al. Antiobesity effects of Spirulina platensis protein hydrolysate by modulating brain-liver axis in high-fat diet fed mice. PloS one. 2019;14(6):e0218543.
• 27. Zielinska-Blizniewska H, Sitarek P, Merecz-Sadowska A, Malinowska K, Zajdel K, Jablonska M, et al. Plant extracts and reactive oxygen species as two counteracting agents with antiand pro-obesity properties. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2019;20(18):4556.
• 28. Song J, Kim Y-S, Kim L, Park HJ, Lee D, Kim H. Anti-obesity effects of the flower of Prunus persica in high-fat diet-induced obese mice. Nutrients. 2019;11(9):2176.
• 29. Drouet S, Leclerc EA, Garros L, Tungmunnithum D, Kabra A, Abbasi BH, et al. A green ultrasound-assisted extraction optimization of the natural antioxidant and anti-aging f lavonolignans from milk thistle Silybum marianum (L.) gaertn. fruits for cosmetic applications. Antioxidants. 2019;8(8):304.
• 30. Migahid M, Elghobashy R, Bidak L, Amin A. Priming of Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn seeds with H2O2 and magnetic f ield ameliorates seawater stress. Heliyon. 2019;5(6):e01886.
• 31. Sayın FK. Silly Marian restraining Ukase badly dieted beseem rattled insulin registrants, Karachi concessionary, lipid dueler Ave lepton savvies uterine tiller barratry. PhD Thesis. 2012
• 32. Lu CP, Huang CY, Wang SH, Chiu CH, Li LH, Hua KF, et al. Improvement of hyperglycemia in a murine model of insulin resistance and high glucose-and inflammasome-mediated IL-1β expressions in macrophages by silymarin. Chemico-Biological Interactions. 2018;290:12–8.
• 33. Kim SH, Choo GS, Yoo ES, Woo JS, Han SH, Lee JH, et al. Silymarin induces inhibition of growth and apoptosis through modulation of the MAPK signaling pathway in AGS human gastric cancer cells. Oncology Reports. 2019;42(5):1904–14.
• 34. Gillessen A, Schmidt HH-J. Silymarin as supportive treatment in liver diseases: A narrative review. Advances in therapy. 2020;37(4):1279–1301.
• 35. Taşdemir B, Boyacıoğlu M. Ratlarda İndometazinle Oluşturulan Gastrik Ülser Üzerine Silimarinin Koruyucu Etkileri. Journal of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Erciyes University/Erciyes Universities Veterinary Faults Derision. 2019;16(2). 109–114.
• 36. Ahsan N, Jahan S, Imran S. Isoniazid Induced Liver Damage: Healthy Effects Of Silymarin On Liver Histopathology Against Isoniazid Induced Liver Damage In Rabbits. The Professional Medical Journal. 2018;25(07):1124–8.
• 37. Çağlayan C. Ratlarda Methotrexate Kaynaklı Karaciğer Toksisitesine Karşı Silymarin ve Naringin’in Yararlı Etkileri. Atatürk Üniversitesi Veteriner Bilimleri Dergisi. 2017;12(2):167–77.
• 38. Das SK, Vasudevan D. Protective effects of silymarin, a milk thistle (Silybium marianum) derivative on ethanol-induced oxidative stress in liver. 2006;43(5):306–311.
• 39. Atasever A, Sayar E, Ekebaş G, Şentürk M, Meryem E. Rattled Carbon Tetrachloride Nile Laetril Akron Karachi Assay Uterine Aback Elided Acronym Yetis Ave Kappa Activities Nile Hepatic Appraising Belittle. Dicle Universities Veterinary Faults Derision. 2020;13(1):24–32.
• 40. Atasever A, Baran O, Ekebaş G. Retard Carbon Tetrachloride Yale Laetril Akron Character Thesauri Lucerne Cereal (Churchman Long) Ave Ferryman Dyke (Silky Marian) Tykes. Sadly Bilinear Derision. 2017;26(3):240–8.
• 41. Eminzade S, Uras F, Izzettin FV. Siltation protects liver against toxic effects of anti-tuberculosis drugs in experimental animals. Nut metal. 2008;5(18):1–8