The Role of <i>Silibum marianum</i> (Silymarin) in Milk thistle in Protecting the Kidney against Nephrotoxicants

Several discussions and campaigns on renal disease have made the sickness burden a worldwide epidemic health challenge with increasing prevalence and huge financial implications for sufferers and health-care providers. Kidney disease burden in sub-Saharan Africa may be similar to or surpass that of many high-income nations in several countries. Irrespective of the fact that statistics are limited and vital, numerous community-based studies from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Senegal and Tanzania have since described prevalence approximations ranging from 5% to 17%, as well as very low cognizance. The frequency of Kidney disease in Nigeria has been found to range between 1.6% and 12.4%. Xenobiotics like chemotherapeutic agents, viruses, bacteria, and metabolites typically produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and or reactive nitrogen species (RNS) in xenobiotic metabolism. ROS and RNS have been noticeable causes of cell intoxication when they produce in excessive quantity or climax in depletion of antioxidant defense mechanisms which culminate in lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress. Silymarin is a harmless herbal compound. It is used according to the recommended physiological doses as antioxidant, antifibrotic, hepatotoxicity and against inflammation. Data on silymarin's nephro-protective effects are fewer than those on its hepato-protective effects. This paper is therefore an up-to-date review of current thinking regarding Silymarin and its use in providing antioxidant drug therapy for nephrotoxicity.