title: Induction of T lymphocyte apoptosis by treatment with glycyrrhizin.
abstract: The effect of glycyrrhizin (GL), a Chinese herbal drug extracted from licolice roots, on murine lymphocytes for inducing apoptotic cell death was studied. Addition of GL (25-400 micrograms/ml) to cultured splenocytes and thymocytes from BALB/c mice definitely promoted DNA fragmentation. A single injection of GL (100 micrograms/mouse) into BALB/c mice did not cause any detectable DNA fragmentation or cell death of splenocytes and thymocytes. Cytofluorometric analysis of these cells, however, demonstrated a reduction in mitochondrial transmembrane potentials (delta psi m). Repeated injections of GL (100 micrograms/mouse/day) into mice for 7 days actually resulted in induction of low grade DNA fragmentation selectively in splenocytes. Cell population analysis of viable lymphocytes suggested that both CD4+ Th lymphocytes and CD8+ Tc lymphocytes may have been relatively more sensitive than B220+ B lymphocytes for the apoptotic cell death. We concluded from these results that GL acts as a rather selective inducer of mature T lymphocyte apoptosis with a reduction in delta psi m potentially preceding lymphocyte death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, College of Natural Science, Woosuk University, Chonju, Korea.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eun
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nakashima
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D053938:DNA Fragmentation / Q000187:drug effects; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D019695:Glycyrrhizic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D019695:Glycyrrhizic Acid