title: Anti-inflammatory effect of roasted licorice extracts on lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory responses in murine macrophages.
abstract: Licorice, the roots of Glycyrrhiza inflata, is used by practitioners of alternative medicine to treat individuals with gastric or duodenal ulcers, bronchitis, cough, arthritis, adrenal insufficiency, and allergies. We investigated the anti-inflammatory properties of 4 licorice extracts: extracts of roasted licorice obtained by ethanol (rLE) or water extraction (rLW) and extracts of raw licorice obtained by ethanol (LE) or water extraction (LW). rLE demonstrated strong anti-inflammatory activity through its ability to reduce nitric oxide and prostaglandin E(2) production in the LPS-stimulated mouse macrophage cell, RAW264.7. It also inhibited the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and CD14 expression on the LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Further study indicated that LPS-induced degradation and phosphorylation of Ikappa-Balpha, along with DNA-binding of NF-kappaB, was significantly inhibited by rLE exposure in RAW264.7 cells. In the murine model, we found that in vivo exposure to rLE-induced an increase in the survival rate, reduced plasma levels of TNF-alpha and IL-6, and increased IL-10 production in LPS-treated mice. Collectively, these data suggest that the use of rLE may be a useful therapeutic approach to various inflammatory diseases.
authors.affiliation: Food and Drug Preclinical Technology Innovation Center, Hallym University, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea. kimjin@hallym.ac.kr
authors.forename: Jin-Kyung
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sun-mee
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Hyuck-Se
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Yang-Seok
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Soon Sung
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Hyun-Kyung
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Shin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006035:Glycyrrhiza / Q000378:metabolism*; D020672:I-kappa B Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D007249:Inflammation; D018950:Lipopolysaccharide Receptors / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000378:metabolism*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D000072000:NF-KappaB Inhibitor alpha; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism; D010936:Plant Extracts
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D020672:I-kappa B Proteins; D018950:Lipopolysaccharide Receptors; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D016328:NF-kappa B; C000606205:Nfkbia protein, mouse; D010936:Plant Extracts; D000072000:NF-KappaB Inhibitor alpha; D015232:Dinoprostone