Table 5. Effect of silibinin on hemoglobin level and biomarkers of inflammation in patients with active RA maintained on methotrexate.
| Marker | Silibinin, n = 15 | Placebo, n = 15 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-treatment | Post-treatment | Pre-treatment | Post-treatment | |
| Hb, g/dL | 11.7±0.08 | 12.8±0.04*a | 11.6±0.1 | 11.9±0.1b |
| IL-8, pg/ml | 182±3.0 | 92.3±10.0*a | 148.6±9.5 | 135.4±8.7b |
| IL-6, pg/ml | 130±3.6 | 80.3±3.8*a | 130±4.3 | 116±2.7*b |
| TNF-a, pg/ml | 16.5±0.7 | 8.1±0.8*a | 16.9±0.7 | 13.1±0.8*b |
| IL-10, pg/ml | 1.4±0.1 | 7.5±0.5*a | 1.6±0.1 | 2.5±0.2*b |
| IL-2, pg/ml | 1.5±0.2 | 12.5±1.2*a | 1.5±0.1 | 2.9±0.3*b |
| Anti-CCP antibody, U/ml | 115±9.9 | 39.3±3.6*a | 119±8.9 | 99±6.9*b |
*significantly different compared to pre-treatment (p < 0.050); post-treatment values with different superscripts (a,b) within each parameter are significantly different (p < 0.050). Hb: hemoglobin, IL: interleukin; TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor alpha; CCP: anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide.