| Cancer types mentioned | Food it is found in | |
| Breast, Colorectal, Liver, Lung, Prostate, Skin, Gastric | Milk thistle |
Silibinin
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Cancers mentioned: Lung cancer, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, and colon cancer.
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Food Occurrences: Derived from Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum). While not a common food, it is a frequent dietary supplement.
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Silibinin, the main bioactive compound in silymarin (milk thistle extract), is especially effective against cancers in the urinary and respiratory tracts. It works mainly by blocking tumor cells from invading and spreading, targeting the pathways that let them move.
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Silibinin also helps shield the liver from the damaging side effects of standard chemotherapy, making it a useful supportive agent in clinical care. Studies show it can bind directly to P-gp substrate sites, blocking drug efflux in resistant tumors.
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Remainder of Report & Sources:
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Mechanisms: Inhibition of P-gp ATPase activity, suppression of cell migration, and antioxidant protection of healthy tissues.
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Primary Source: Cui et al., Chinese Medicine, 2025
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Additional Source: ResearchGate – Silibinin potential
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Silibinin (Silybin)
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Primary Food Sources: Milk Thistle.
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Molecular Targets: Potent inhibitor of STAT3 and IGF-1R (Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 Receptor). It is highly effective at reversing multidrug resistance (MDR) by inhibiting ABC transporters.
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Bioavailability: Very poor water solubility; typically requires lipid-based delivery (Silybin-phosphatidylcholine complex).
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Cross-Links:
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Curcumin: Synergistically increases caspase activity in Colon Cancer cells.
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EGCG: Co-treatment inhibits the migration of lung cancer cells more effectively than single agents.
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