Silymarin and silymarin nanoparticles guard against chronic unpredictable mild stress induced depressive-like behavior in mice: involvement of neurogenesis and NLRP3 inflammasome.

The antidepressant-like effect of silymarin can be attributed to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects as well as increased neurogenesis in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, which delineates silymarin, especially in nanoparticle form, as a promising strategy for treatment of depression.