Glycyrrhizic acid and glycyrrhetinic acid (bioactive compounds)

Glycyrrhizic acid (also known as glycyrrhizin or glycyrrhizinic acid) is the main sweet-tasting constituent of licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra), classified chemically as a triterpene saponin. After oral ingestion, it is hydrolyzed by intestinal bacteria to its aglycone form, 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (enoxolone), which is absorbed systemically and further metabolized in the liver. Both compounds exhibit broad pharmacological activities including anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antitumor, hepatoprotective, and immune-modulating effects. Their mechanisms include inhibition of viral replication and gene expression, suppression of inflammatory mediators such as TNF-alpha and HMGB1/TLR4 signaling pathways, inhibition of neutrophil-generated reactive oxygen species without direct ROS scavenging activity, modulation of CD4+ T cell proliferation via JNK/ERK/PI3K-AKT pathways, inhibition of SUMOylation processes involved in viral reactivation and tumorigenesis, and interference with steroid metabolism through inhibition of renal 11-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase leading to increased local cortisol levels. Chronic or excessive consumption can cause adverse mineralocorticoid-like side effects such as hypokalemia and hypertension due to sodium retention.

Other names

GlycyrrhizinGlycyrrhizinic acidEnoxolone (for 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid)