Center for Drug Safety Evaluation and Research, State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China.
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2021 Jan;42(1):18-26. doi: 10.1038/s41401-020-0383-9. Epub 2020 Mar 6.
The first description of the medical use of licorice appeared in "Shennong Bencao Jing", one of the well-known Chinese herbal medicine classic books dated back to 220-280 AD. As one of the most commonly prescribed Chinese herbal medicine, licorice is known as "Guo Lao", meaning "a national treasure" in China. Modern pharmacological investigations have confirmed that licorice possesses a number of biological activities, such as antioxidation, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, immune regulation, and liver protection. 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid is one of the most extensively studied active integrants of licorice. Here, we provide an overview of the protective effects of 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid against various acute and chronic liver diseases observed in experimental models, and summarize its pharmacological effects and potential toxic/side effects at higher doses. We also make additional comments on the important areas that may warrant further research to support appropriate clinical applications of 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid and avoid potential risks.
甘草的医学用途最早在公元 220-280 年的著名中草药经典著作《神农本草经》中有所记载。作为最常用的中草药之一,甘草在中国被称为“国老”,意为“国宝”。现代药理学研究证实,甘草具有抗氧化、抗炎、抗病毒、免疫调节和保肝等多种生物活性。18β-甘草次酸是甘草中研究最广泛的活性成分之一。在这里,我们综述了 18β-甘草次酸在实验模型中对各种急性和慢性肝病的保护作用,并总结了其在较高剂量下的药理作用和潜在的毒/副作用。我们还对可能需要进一步研究的重要领域进行了补充说明,以支持 18β-甘草次酸的临床应用,并避免潜在风险。