title: Glycyrrhetinic acid-induced permeability transition in rat liver mitochondria.
abstract: Glycyrrhetinic acid, a hydrolysis product of one of the main constituents of licorice, the triterpene glycoside of glycyrrhizic acid, when added to rat liver mitochondria at micromolar concentrations induces swelling, loss of membrane potential, pyridine nucleotide oxidation, and release of cytochrome c and apoptosis inducing factor. These changes are Ca(2+) dependent and are prevented by cyclosporin A, bongkrekic acid, and N-ethylmaleimide. All these observations indicate that glycyrrhetinic acid is a potent inducer of mitochondrial permeability transition and can trigger the pro-apoptotic pathway.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica Biologica, Universita' di Padova, Istituto di Neuroscienze del C.N.R., Unita' per lo Studio delle Biomembrane, Via G. Colombo 3, 35121 Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salvi
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fiore
authors.forename: Decio
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Armanini
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Toninello
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006034:Glycyrrhetinic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008930:Mitochondria, Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D008933:Mitochondrial Swelling / Q000187:drug effects; D010539:Permeability; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D006034:Glycyrrhetinic Acid