We've all been there: cosy get-togethers, sumptuous meals and the odd glass of champagne to toast. However, if you consume too many calories not only during celebrations, but all the time, you run the risk of damaging your liver. Pharmacists at the University of Graz have now discovered the mechanism of action of a natural substance contained in milk thistle to combat the most common disease of this organ. Silybin A specifically influences the liver's fat metabolism and helps to render toxic substances harmless. The study results were published in the journal Theranostics.
"We were able to prove in the laboratory that silybin A reduces the content of storage fats in the liver both in healthy individuals and in early stages of the disease, while at the same time increasing the content of phospholipids, which are found in the cell membranes," explains Solveigh Koeberle, first author of the publication. This mechanism protects the liver cells from an overload of fat. At the same time, the storage of phospholipids in the membranes improves the ability to metabolise toxins. "It has long been observed that milk thistle extract may help against liver diseases. We have now deciphered the mode of action," explains Koeberle. The international team, led by pharmacognosist Andreas Koeberle, has thus gained important insights that will enable the development of new, targeted therapeutic approaches against metabolic-associated fatty liver disease.
