Vitamin E Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Vitamin E, including details on benefits, dosage, supplements, antioxidants.

The effect of a silybin-vitamin e-phospholipid complex on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a pilot study.

Loguercio C, Federico A, Trappoliere M, Tuccillo C, de Sio I, Di Leva A, Niosi M, D'Auria MV, Capasso R, Del Vecchio Blanco C,

Interuniversity Research Center on Foods, Nutrition and Gastrointestinal Tract (CIRANAD), Unit of Gastroenterology, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy.

Oxidative stress leads to chronic liver damage. Silybin has been conjugated with vitamin E and phospholipids to improve its antioxidant activity. Eighty-five patients were divided into 2 groups: those affected by nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (group A) and those with HCV-related chronic hepatitis associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (group B), nonresponders to treatment. The treatment consisted of silybin/vitamin E/phospholipids. After treatment, group A showed a significant reduction in ultrasonographic scores for liver steatosis. Liver enzyme levels, hyperinsulinemia, and indexes of liver fibrosis showed an improvement in treated individuals. A significant correlation among indexes of fibrosis, body mass index, insulinemia, plasma levels of transforming growth factor-beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, degree of steatosis, and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase was observed. Our data suggest that silybin conjugated with vitamin E and phospholipids could be used as a complementary approach to the treatment of patients with chronic liver damage.

Published 9 August 2007 in Dig Dis Sci, 52(9): 2387-95.
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