Silymarin improved motor manifestations of Parkinsonian patients : A randomized clinical trial

Background and Aim : In the most advanced stages of Parkinson’s disease, patients develop motor complications that are not manageable with current treatments. There is an urgent need for novel neuroprotective treatment options. Silymarin is one of these agents that have neuroprotective properties. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Silymarin on Parkinson’s disease for the first time.Methods : This was a phase III, randomized, double-blind, parallel group study in which the patients were divided into intervention and control group. The intervention group patients received levodopa, trihexyphenidyl, and Silymarin and the control group patients received levodopa, trihexyphenidyl, and placebo. The patients were visited regularly and evaluated for Modified Hoehn and Yahr scale motor disturbances before and 2, 4 and 6 months after intervention. The mean of motor disturbance scores was compared between the two groups at 4 measured time by using repeated measures ANOVA.Results : Among 100 patients in the study 53 were males. Their total mean age was 70.00 ± 7.41. The mean duration disease in the Silymarin group was 2.60 year and in the placebo group was 2.21. Silymarin reduced the stage of disease significantly (p <0.001) in comparison to placebo. Silymarin comparison with placebo slowed the slope of the disease process.Conclusion : Short-term treatment with Silymarin improved motor imbalance and reduced stage of disease in this study. We suggest Silymarin can increase the responsiveness of disease to conventional drugs in Parkinsonian patients.

کلیدواژه ها:

Silymarin ، Parkinson’s disease ، Motor imbalance ، Herbal medicine