Licorice: A possible anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcer drug

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to study the antiinflammatory activities of both glycerrhitinic acid (GA) and the aqueous licorice extract (ALE) in comparison with diclofenac sodium (DS) (10 mg/kg), using the carrageenan-induced paw edema model in male albino rats. In addition, the anti-ulcer activities of ALE, famotidine (FT), and a combination of ALE and FT using indomethacininduced ulceration technique in rat stomach were investigated. Conventional DS tablets containing GA, as well as DS chewable tablets containing either GA or ALE with different tastes were prepared. Also, rapidly disintegrating FT tablets were prepared using direct compression and camphor sublimation methods. ALE or GA produced significant anti-inflammatory activity similar to DS, and when taken concomitantly, there is no possible antagonism. The anti-ulcer activity of licorice was found to be similar to that of FT in indomethacin-induced ulceration technique in rat stomach. Combination therapy of both FT and licorice showed higher anti-ulcer activity than either of them alone. Generally, tablets containing the crosslinked sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (AcDisol) showed more rapidly disintegrating effect than those including Sodium starch glycolate (Primojel). The oral disintegration was very rapid for all the tested formulations. Also, the amount of FT absorbed from the oral cavity was nearly 9 from 10 mg theoretically present in each formula. It could be concluded that both GA and ALE have anti-inflammatory activity comparable with DS. It may be recommended to add ALE to either FT or diclofinac for more effective anti-inflammatory or anti-ulcer formulations, respectively.

Alternative Medicine Products as a Novel Treatment Strategy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

“…koreana, C. saxicola, S. adoxoides, T. officinale, C. coronarium, G. inflate, and L. japonica are commonly employed ethnopharmacological agents used for the treatment of inflammatory diseases in China (Aly, Al-Alousi and Salem, 2005, Bor, Chen and Yen, 2006, Cheng, Li, You and Hu, 2005, Hu and Kitts, 2005, Jung, Richter, Kabrodt, Lucke, Schellenberg and Herrling, 2006, Kang, Yoon, Cho, Han, Lee, Park and Kim, 2005, Kim, Min, Jeong, Lee, Lee and Seo, 2005, Kim, Kim, Baek, Lee, Kim, Kwon and Lee, 2006, Kim, Oh, Kwon, Oh, Lim and Shin, 2006, Ko, Wei and Chiou, 2006, Leu, Wang, Huang and Shi, 2005, Leung, Kuo, Yang, Lin and Lee, 2006, Li, Yuan, Xiong, Lu, Qin, Chen and Liu, 2006, Li, Zhang, Zhang, Liu, Wang, Wang, Zhu and Chen, 2006, Ling, Wu and Li, 2006, Makino, Tsubouchi, Murakami, Haneda and Yoshino, 2006, Niu, Chang, Jiang, Cui, Chen, Yuan and Tu, 2006, Niu, Cui, Li, Chang, Jiang, Qiao and Tu, 2006, Rusu, Tamas, Puica, Roman and Sabadas, 2005, Seo, Koo, An, Kwon, Lim, Seo, Ryu, Moon, Kim, Kim and Hong, 2005, Son, Moon, Lee, Son, Kim, Kang, Son, Lee and Chang, 2006, Strzelecka, Bzowska, Koziel, Szuba, Dubiel, Riviera Nunez, Heinrich and Bereta, 2005, Su, 2004, Suh, Chung, Son, Kim, Moon, Son, Kim, Chang and Kim, 2006, Thanabhorn, Jaijoy, Thamaree, Ingkaninan and Panthong, 2006, Zhan and Yang, 2006. F. koreana, used as a single-agent antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, and diuretic, contains the cyclohexylethanoid compound rengyolone, found to be a potent inhibitor of NO and tissue necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in vitro; this compound inhibits inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) expression in macrophages in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation …”

“…C. coronarium has proven protective against the development of CCl 4 -induced liver injury in rats and decreases delayed-type hypersensitivity in mice, as well as inhibiting iNOS expression and NO production from RAW264.7 cells in vitro (Bor, Chen andYen, 2006, Rusu, Tamas, Puica, Roman andSabadas, 2005). G. inflate, also known as licorice, inhibits the production of NO and prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) from RAW264.7 cells in response to LPS stimulation, likely through inhibition of nuclear factor KB (NF-KB), and confers a survival advantage and decreases cytokine expression in murine LPS-induced septic shock (Aly, Al-Alousi and Salem, 2005, Kang, Yoon, Cho, Han, Lee, Park and Kim, 2005, Kim, Oh, Kwon, Oh, Lim and Shin, 2006, Makino, Tsubouchi, Murakami, Haneda and Yoshino, 2006. Ochnaflavone, a biflavonoid, has been isolated from L. japonica; in vitro, this compound inhibits phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and p38 mitogenactivated protein kinase (MAPK) and inhibits NF-KB activity in RAW264.7 cells, leading to decreased iNOS expression and NO formation in response to LPS (Suh, Chung, Son, Kim, Moon, Son, Kim, Chang and Kim, 2006).…”

“…For example, Chinese patients with IBD have been treated with a novel herbal remedy, consisting of a combination of seven herbs, including Forsythia koreana, Corydalis saxicola, Semiaquilegia adoxoides, Taraxacum officinale, Chrysanthemum coronarium, Glycyrrhiza inflate, and Lonicera japonica. These herbs were individually selected on the basis of known anti-inflammatory properties, which have been characterized on a molecular level (Aly, et al, 2005,Bor, et al, 2006,Cheng, et al, 2005,Hu and Kitts, 2005,Jung, et al, 2006,Kang, et al, 2005,Ko, et al, 2006,Leu, et al, 2005,Leung, et al, 2006,Ling, et al, 2006,Makino, et al, 2006,Rusu, et al, 2005,Strzelecka, et al, 2005,Su, 2004,Suh, et al, 2006,Thanabhorn, et al, 2006,Zhan and Yang, 2006. The purpose of our current study was to validate the use of this herbal remedy in the treatment of IBD using an established mouse model of colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS).…”

Medicinal plants in the treatment ofHelicobacter pyloriinfections

“…(Fabaceae) and has been used for medicinal purposes since at least 500 BC (Nassiri Asl & Hosseinzadeh, 2008). It is felt that an extract of G. uralensis may be effective in the treatment of peptic ulcer disease (Aly et al, 2005;Nassiri Asl & Hosseinzadeh, 2008). Recently, antiinflammatory, antioxidative , immunomodulatory, and other biological activities of this plant were reported (Cheng et al, 2008;.…”

Glycyrrhetinic acid and its derivatives in infectious diseases

“…GA or GE, and in some cases, both acids, have exerted in many in vitro and in vivo studies, antiulcer [2], anti-inflammatory [2], hepatoprotective [17], anticancer [37,47], antibacterial [25], antiviral [3,10,13], antileishmanial [6,42] and neuroprotective activities, as well as cell-protective and chemopreventive effects [1,50]. Moreover, GE and its analogues have demonstrated anticoagulant activity as inhibitors of blood coagulation factor Xa, and have shown antifilarial properties against microfilariae and adult worms of Brugia malayi [18,19].…”