The extract from milk thistle (Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn. (Asteraceae)), known as silymarin, contains a variety of flavonolignans and displays antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and hepatoprotective properties. As silybin is the main component of silymarin, the literature mainly focuses on this compound, ignoring all other components. This leads to problems in reproducibility of scientific results, as the exact composition of silymarin is often unknown and can vary to a certain degree depending on the processing, chemo-variety of the plant used and climatic conditions during the plant growth. There are studies dealing with the analytical separation and quantification of silymarin components as well as studies focused on silymarin content in clinically used drugs, in various plant parts, seasons, geographic locations etc. However, no comparison of detail flavonolignan profiles in various silymarin preparations is available to date. Also, as a result of the focus on the flavonolignans; the oil fraction, which contains linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids, sterols, tocopherol (vitamin E) and phospholipids, has been neglected. Due to all these factors, the whole plant is used e.g. as animal feed, the leaves can be eaten in salads and seed oil, besides culinary uses, can be also utilized for biodiesel or polymer production. Various HPLC separation techniques for the determination of the content of the flavonolignans have been vastly summarized in the present review.

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Flavonolignans silybin, silychristin and 2,3-dehydrosilybin showed differential cytoprotective, antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effects on splenocytes from Balb/c mice

Carbon Monoxide-Releasing Activity of Plant Flavonoids

Selectively Halogenated Flavonolignans-Preparation and Antibacterial Activity

Silymarin Dehydroflavonolignans Chelate Zinc and Partially Inhibit Alcohol Dehydrogenase

The Effect of Mycotoxins and Silymarin on Liver Lipidome of Mice with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Chirality Matters: Biological Activity of Optically Pure Silybin and Its Congeners

Metabolism of 2,3-Dehydrosilybin A and 2,3-Dehydrosilybin B: A Study with Human Hepatocytes and Recombinant UDP-Glucuronosyltransferases and Sulfotransferases

Influence of Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) Seed Cakes on Biochemical Values of Equine Plasma Subjected to Physical Exertion

Flavonoids and Related Members of the Aromatic Polyketide Group in Human Health and Disease: Do They Really Work?

Identification of Human Sulfotransferases Active towards Silymarin Flavonolignans and Taxifolin

The Milk Thistle Seed Cakes and Hempseed Cakes are Potential Feed for Poultry

Multidrug Resistance Modulation Activity of Silybin Derivatives and Their Anti-inflammatory Potential

Dual SMO/BRAF Inhibition by Flavonolignans from Silybum marianum †

Simple and Rapid HPLC Separation and Quantification of Flavonoid, Flavonolignans, and 2,3-Dehydroflavonolignans in Silymarin

Biotransformation of Silymarin Flavonolignans by Human Fecal Microbiota

The Effect of Silymarin Flavonolignans and Their Sulfated Conjugates on Platelet Aggregation and Blood Vessels Ex Vivo

Complex Evaluation of Antioxidant Capacity of Milk Thistle Dietary Supplements

Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Multidrug Resistance Modulation Activity of Silychristin Derivatives

Poor chemical and microbiological quality of the commercial milk thistle-based dietary supplements may account for their reported unsatisfactory and non-reproducible clinical outcomes

Skin Protective Activity of Silymarin and its Flavonolignans