Petrovsky National Research Center of Surgery, 119991 Moscow, Russia.
Institute of General Pathology and Pathophysiology, 125315 Moscow, Russia.
Molecules. 2022 Jul 22;27(15):4697. doi: 10.3390/molecules27154697.
Cardiovascular diseases associated with atherosclerosis are the major cause of death in developed countries. Early prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis are considered to be an important aspect of the therapy of cardiovascular disease. Preparations based on natural products affect the main pathogenetic steps of atherogenesis, and so represent a perspective for the long-term prevention of atherosclerosis development. Numerous experimental and clinical studies have demonstrated the multiple beneficial effects of licorice and its bioactive compounds-anti-inflammatory, anti-cytokine, antioxidant, anti-atherogenic, and anti-platelet action-which allow us to consider licorice as a promising atheroprotective agent. In this review, we summarized the current knowledge on the licorice anti-atherosclerotic mechanisms of action based on the results of experimental studies, including the results of the in vitro study demonstrating licorice effect on the ability of blood serum to reduce intracellular cholesterol accumulation in cultured macrophages, and presented the results of clinical studies confirming the ameliorating activity of licorice in regard to traditional cardiovascular risk factors as well as the direct anti-atherosclerotic effect of licorice.
与动脉粥样硬化相关的心血管疾病是发达国家主要的死亡原因。早期预防和治疗动脉粥样硬化被认为是心血管疾病治疗的重要方面。基于天然产物的制剂影响动脉粥样硬化发病的主要病理步骤，因此代表了长期预防动脉粥样硬化发展的一个前景。大量的实验和临床研究表明，甘草及其生物活性化合物具有抗炎、抗细胞因子、抗氧化、抗动脉粥样硬化和抗血小板作用，这使我们能够将甘草视为一种有前途的抗动脉粥样硬化保护剂。在这篇综述中，我们根据实验研究的结果总结了甘草抗动脉粥样硬化作用的机制，包括体外研究表明甘草对血清降低培养巨噬细胞内胆固醇积累能力的影响，并介绍了临床研究的结果，证实了甘草对传统心血管危险因素的改善作用，以及甘草的直接抗动脉粥样硬化作用。
