International Federation ORL Societies (IFOS) Executive Board members, Rome, Italy.
Consultant Allergist, Casa di Cura Villa Montallegro, Genoa, Italy.
J Biol Regul Homeost Agents. 2021 Jan-Feb;35(1 Suppl. 2):15-19. doi: 10.23812/21-1supp2-4.
COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS - CoV - 2 pathogen, is currently a pandemic. At the moment there is not an available vaccine, so, scientific community is looking for strategies and drugs to implement prevention and prophylaxis. Several compounds are examined for this purpose. Glycyrrhizin, an alkaloid extracted from licorice plant (glycyrriza glabra), is one of the most studied molecules, both for its peculiar biological functions and for its pharmacological effects. This brief review aims to highlight the characteristics of glycyrrhizin for topical use on the nasal and ocular surfaces. The anti-inflammatory activity, the ability to inhibit the accumulation of ROS, the antiviral property, but, above all, the ability to bind the ACE receptor and the SARS - CoV-2 protein S in the extracellular environment make Glycyrrhizzin for topical use a compound with a high prophylactic potential for SARS - CoV - 2 infection, also due to its low cost and the absence of significant side effects.
新型冠状病毒病（COVID-19）由 SARS-CoV-2 病原体引起，目前正在全球流行。目前尚无可用疫苗，因此科学界正在寻找预防和治疗的策略和药物。为此目的，正在研究几种化合物。甘草酸是从甘草植物（甘草）中提取的一种生物碱，是研究最多的分子之一，这不仅是因为它具有特殊的生物学功能，还因为它具有药理学作用。这篇简短的综述旨在强调甘草酸在鼻腔和眼部表面局部应用的特性。甘草酸具有抗炎活性、抑制 ROS 积累的能力、抗病毒特性，但最重要的是，它能够在细胞外环境中结合 ACE 受体和 SARS-CoV-2 蛋白 S，这使得甘草酸局部应用成为一种对 SARS-CoV-2 感染具有高预防潜力的化合物，这也归因于其低成本和无明显副作用。
