The effect of silybin on liver phospholipid synthesis in the rat in vivo

Female Wistar rats have been injected intravenously for seven days with various different doses of silybin, the main component of the drug silymarin, and the in vitro synthesis of phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine from their respective precursors, CDP-ethanolamine and CDP-choline has been examined in liver microsomal membranes. Appreciable inhibition of the incorporation rates of precursors into lipids has been noticed at dosage of 15-20 mg/100 g body wt., daily. No evident effect is exerted by similar silybin treatment on choline and ethanolamine incorporation respectively into liver phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine in vivo.