proliferative and anti-inflammatory effects of resveratrol and silymarin on human gingival fibroblasts: a view to the future

Objectives: it has been demonstrated that polyphenol components such as silymarin and resveratrol have anti-inflammatory properties. periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that leads to the breakdown of dental supporting tissues and tooth loss. the purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of silymarin and resveratrol on lipopolysaccharide (lps)-induced inflammatory response in human gingival fibroblasts (hgfs). materials and methods: hgfs were treated with different concentrations of silymarin and/or resveratrol (25, 50, 100 and 200μg/ml). the effects of silymarin and resveratrol on cell viability and proliferation were assessed by mtt assay and cell cycle analysis, respectively. also, hgfs were treated with silymarin and/or resveratrol and were stimulated with lps. the levels of interleukin-6 (il-6) and il-8 were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa). results: after treatment with silymarin, the viability of fibroblasts significantly increased, whereas treatment with resveratrol did not have any significant effect on cell viability. however, the combination of these flavonoids (50μg/ml silymarin and 100μg/ml resveratrol) significantly increased the viability of fibroblasts. resveratrol significantly inhibited lps-induced il-6 and il-8 secretion by hgfs, but silymarin did not show such a significant effect. conclusions: the findings of the present study demonstrated the anti-inflammatory effects of resveratrol and its combination with silymarin. therefore, the combination of silymarin and resveratrol may be useful as a therapeutic agent for treatment of periodontal diseases.