Effects of Silybum marianum Seed Extract on Serum Aminotransferases in Alcohol-Intoxicated Rats: Comparison with Metadoxine and Disulfiram

Alcohol-induced liver dysfunction is associated with hepatocellular membrane damage and alterations in circulating biochemical markers. This study evaluated the effects of Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn. seed extract on serum liver-associated markers in rats with repeated alcohol intoxication and compared its effects with those of metadoxine and disulfiram. Sixty white outbred rats of both sexes were stratified into two age cohorts (5–25 and 60–80 days). Within each cohort, the animals were assigned to control, alcohol-intoxicated, alcohol plus S. marianum extract, alcohol plus metadoxine, or alcohol plus disulfiram groups (n = 6 per group). Alcohol intoxication was induced by oral administration of 45% ethanol-containing vodka at 2 mL/kg twice daily for seven consecutive days. S. marianum seed extract, metadoxine, and disulfiram were administered at 250 mg/kg. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total protein, and total bilirubin were measured, and the AST/ALT ratio was calculated. Data are presented as mean ± SEM and were analyzed using Student’s t-test, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Alcohol exposure increased ALT, AST, the AST/ALT ratio, and total bilirubin while decreasing total protein in both age cohorts. Compared with the respective alcohol-intoxicated groups, S. marianum seed extract reduced ALT by 32.09% and 34.08%, AST by 53.04% and 57.74%, and the AST/ALT ratio by 31.28% and 36.14% in younger and older rats, respectively. It also increased total protein by 118.14% and 101.17% and reduced total bilirubin by 28.60% and 62.20%, respectively. These effects were generally greater than those of metadoxine, whereas disulfiram further aggravated several ethanol-associated biochemical alterations. Thus, S. marianum seed extract favorably modified selected serum markers of ethanol-associated liver dysfunction. However, these biochemical findings alone do not constitute comprehensive evidence of hepatoprotection and require confirmation by histopathological and mechanistic studies.

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