Seed Enhancement of Silybum marianum and Optimization of Silymarin Extraction.

The present study elucidates the impact of different priming strategies on seed emergence and growth of milk thistle [Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.] and also evaluation of the efficacy of various extraction methods for optimal extraction of silymarin from milk thistle seeds. Seeds were primed with distilled water, Humic acid (2%), potassium chloride (2%) and moringa leaf extract (3%) for 24 h. Untreated seeds were used as control. Primed and non-primed seeds were sown in plastic pots. Seed priming treatments significantly improved the performance of milk thistle seeds as indicated by higher values of final emergence and lower values of mean emergence time and time taken to 50% emergence as compared to non-primed seeds. Silymarin was extracted from seeds of milk thistle by applying various techniques like Reflux, Soxhlet, maceration and microwave assisted extraction by using various solvents. Extraction with Soxhlet and microwave assisted techniques were proved better as compared to the others. The results indicated that in both spectrophotometric and HPLC quantification, silymarin contents were found maximum in extracts prepared with methanol by microwave assisted extraction technique followed by Soxhlet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]