Research Progress on the Antiviral Activity of Glycyrrhizin and its Derivatives in Liquorice

Changchao Huan; Yao Xu; Wei Zhang; Tingting Guo; Haochun Pan; Song Gao

doi:10.3389/fphar.2021.680674

Research Progress on the Antiviral Activity of Glycyrrhizin and its Derivatives in Liquorice

Front Pharmacol. 2021 Jul 6:12:680674. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.680674. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Changchao Huan^{1

2

3}, Yao Xu^{1

2

3}, Wei Zhang^{1

2

3}, Tingting Guo⁴, Haochun Pan^{1

2

3}, Song Gao^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Institutes of Agricultural Science and Technology Development, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.
² Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Avian Bioproduct Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Yangzhou, China.
⁴ College of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.

Abstract

Liquorice is a traditional medicine. Triterpenoids such as glycyrrhizin and glycyrrhetinic acid are the main active constituents of liquorice. Studies have revealed that these compounds exert inhibitory effects on several viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. The main mechanisms of action of these compounds include inhibition of virus replication, direct inactivation of viruses, inhibition of inflammation mediated by HMGB1/TLR4, inhibition of β-chemokines, reduction in the binding of HMGB1 to DNA to weaken the activity of viruses, and inhibition of reactive oxygen species formation. We herein review the research progress on the antiviral effects of glycyrrhizin and its derivatives. In addition, we emphasise the significance of exploring unknown antiviral mechanisms, structural modifications, and drug combinations in future studies.

Keywords: antiviral activity; glycyrrhetinic acid; glycyrrhizin; liquorice; triterpenoid.

Publication types

Review