Cancer, one of the deadliest diseases, has remained the epicenter of biological research for more than seven decades. Yet all the efforts for a perfect therapeutic cure come with certain limitations. The use of medicinal plants and their phytochemicals as therapeutics has received much attention in recent years. Silymarin, a polyphenolic flavonoid with a variety of anti-cancerous properties, was isolated from the plant Silybum marianum. The present review centres on the function of silymarin in controlling important signalling pathways related to apoptosis and survival, such as the JAK/STAT pathway, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, Bcl-2/Bax, and Fas/FasL. It is emphasised that silymarin's capacity to target these pathways is a key mechanism behind its anticancer effects against a variety of malignancies. By upregulating pro-apoptotic and downregulating anti-apoptotic proteins, silymarin controls a series of events that result in tumor suppression and cell death in a variety of cancer types. The low bioavailability and limited therapeutic efficacy of silymarin are improved by the application of various nano-delivery systems. As efficient carriers, liposomes, polymeric micelles, lipid- and metal-based nanoparticles, increase the solubility and distribution of silymarin in target tissues. Lastly, a number of preclinical studies that provide a basis for upcoming therapeutic interventions are highlighted in the review, providing encouraging directions for additional research and advancement.

The investigation was undertaken in 8 x 8 diailel crosses (excluding reciprocals) of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) with a view to assess the genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance in respect to yield components. A considerable amount of variability among 36 treatments for the traits studied indicated the usefulness of selection for these traits in the genetic material used for future improvement in linseed. High value of phenotypic coefficient of variability (PCV), closely followed by genotypic coefficient of variability (GCV) for harvest index, number of capsule per plant, seed yield per plant, number of secondary branches per plant and biological yield per plant indicating the little environment effect on the expression of these characters. Remaining characters showed moderate to low PCV and GCV values. High heritability coupled with moderate genetic advance in per cent of mean was recorded for harvest index, seed yield per plant and number of capsules per plant offered scope for improvement through selection. Moderate or high heritability along with low genetic advance in per cent of mean was observed for remaining characters indicated selection is not much affected for these traits.