Graduate Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.
J Agric Food Chem. 2009 Mar 11;57(5):1854-9. doi: 10.1021/jf8029918.
Glycyrrhizin (GZ) and licorice (root of Glycyrrhiza uralensis) are worldwide food additives and important oriental phytomedicines. This study investigated the biological fate of GZ by orally giving GZ and licorice decoction (LD) to rats. The serum concentrations of GZ and glycyrrhetic acid (GA) were determined by high performance liquid chromatography. The results showed that GZ was not detected and GA was present in serum until 3 days postdosing of GZ and LD. To evaluate the effects of GZ and licorice on the pharmacokinetics of methotrexate (MTX), an important immunosuppressant with a narrow therapeutic window, rats were orally given MTX with and without GZ and LD in different dosage regimens. The serum MTX concentration was determined by fluorescence polarization immunoassay. The results revealed that the AUC and MRT of MTX were significantly increased by GZ and LD. In conclusion, the concurrent use of GZ or licorice with MTX should be with caution.
甘草酸（GZ）和甘草（甘草的根）是世界范围内的食品添加剂和重要的东方植物药。本研究通过给大鼠口服 GZ 和甘草汤（LD）来研究 GZ 的体内命运。通过高效液相色谱法测定 GZ 和甘草酸（GA）的血清浓度。结果表明，给予 GZ 和 LD 后 3 天内未检测到 GZ，而 GA 存在于血清中。为了评估 GZ 和甘草对甲氨蝶呤（MTX）药代动力学的影响，MTX 是一种治疗窗较窄的重要免疫抑制剂，我们给大鼠口服 MTX 并同时给予不同剂量的 GZ 和 LD。通过荧光偏振免疫分析法测定血清 MTX 浓度。结果表明，GZ 和 LD 使 MTX 的 AUC 和 MRT 显著增加。总之，MTX 与 GZ 或甘草同时使用时应谨慎。
