Effect of Glycyrrhiza glabra Extract on Aorta Wall Atherosclerotic Lesion in Hypercholesterolemic Rabbits

Effect of Aqueous Extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra on the Biochemical Changes Induced by Cadmium Chloride in Rats

Twenty four rats were divided into four groups (6 rats/group): 1-control group; 2-licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) extract: rats administered with an oral dose of licorice (3 mg/ml/kg/day) using stomach tube for 4 weeks; 3-cadmium chloride group: rats administered with an oral dose of CdCl₂ (10 mg/kg/day) using stomach tube for 4 weeks; and 4-licorice extract + CdCl₂ group: rats administered orally with both licorice (3 mg/ml/kg/day) and CdCl₂ (10 mg/kg/day) using stomach tube for 4 weeks. Administration of CdCl₂ induced significant increase in thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), paraoxonase-1 (proxon-1), caspase-3 (casp-3) activities, and significant decrease in superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) activities, and glutathione (GSH) content in hepatic tissue. Significant increase in TBARS and kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and significant decrease in SOD, CAT activities, and GSH content in renal tissue were recorded. Significant increase in alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) activities, urea, creatinine, and significant decrease in butyryl choline esterase (BChE), total triiodothyronine (T₃), and total thyroxin (T₄) were recorded in serum. Histological investigation of renal cells showed vacuolations of endothelium lining glomerular tuffs and vacuolations of epithelium lining renal tubules. Investigation of ovarian tissue showed dilatation of interstitial blood vessels and congestion of multiple corpus luteum in CdCl₂-treated rats. Significant improvements in the biochemical and histological changes were observed in CdCl₂ + licorice extract group. It could be concluded that licorice extract alleviates the hazardous effects of cadmium chloride, which may be attributed to its antioxidant properties.

Phytochemical Constituents and Pharmacological Effects of Licorice: A Review

Licorice (or “liquorice”) is one of most widely used in foods, herbal medicine, and extensively researched medicinal plants of the world. In traditional medicine licorice roots have been used against treating many ailments including lung diseases, arthritis, kidney diseases, eczema, heart diseases, gastric ulcer, low blood pressure, allergies, liver toxicity, and certain microbial infections. Licorice extract contains sugars, starch, bitters, resins, essential oils, tannins, inorganic salts, and low levels of nitrogenous constituents such as proteins, individual amino acids, and nucleic acids. A large number of biological active compounds have been isolated from Glycyrrhiza species, where triterpene saponins and flavonoids are the main constitutes which show broad biological activity. This review examines recent studies on the phytochemical and pharmacological data and describes some side effects and toxicity of licorice and its bioactive components.

Economic Importance

The beneficial effects of liquorice in treating chills, colds, and coughs have been fully discussed in Ayurveda, as well as in the texts of ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. The plant has been prescribed for dropsy during the period of famous Hippocrates. The reason being that it was quite helpful as thirst-quenching drugs (Biondi et al. in J Nat Prod 68:1099–1102, 2005; Mamedov and Egamberdieva in Herbals and human health-phytochemistry. Springer Nature Publishers, 41 pp, 2017). No doubt, the clinical use of liquorice in modern medicine started around 1930; Pedanios Dioscorides of Anazarba (Adana), first century AD-Father of Pharmacists, mentions that it is highly effective in the treatment of stomach and intestinal ulcers. In Ayurveda, people in ancient Hindu culture have used it for improving sexual vigor.

Enrichment of the Glycyrrhizic Acid from Licorice Roots (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) by Isoelectric Focused Adsorptive Bubble Chromatography

The main aim of this study was to enrich glycyrrhizic acid ammonium salt known as one of the main compounds of licorice roots (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) by isoelectric focused adsorptive bubble separation technique with different foaming agents. In the experiments, four bubble separation parameters were used with β-lactoglobulin, albumin bovine, and starch (soluble) preferred as foaming agents and without additives. The enrichment of glycyrrhizic acid ammonium salt into the foam was influenced by different additive substances. The results showed that highest enrichment values were obtained from β-lactoglobulin as much as 368.3 times. The lowest enrichment values (5.9 times) were determined for the application without additive. After enrichment, each experiment of glycyrrhizic acid ammonium salt confirmed that these substances could be quantitatively enriched into the collection vessel with isoelectric focused adsorptive bubble separation technique. The transfer of glycyrrhizic acid ammonium salt into the foam from standard solution in the presence of additive was more efficient than aqueous licorice extract.

Glycyrrhiza glabra

Liquorice foliage

Hypolipidemic and anti-atherogenic effect of aqueous extract leaves of Ficus glumosa (Moraceae) in rats

Leaves of Ficus glumosa are used in northern Cameroon and southern Chad for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, as food and as a stimulant for milk production in both women and animals. Atherosclerosis is a disease in which frequency increases with age. The first lesions appear at the young subject during adolescence. Atherosclerosis lesions appear very precociously and worsen with age. They interest the levels chronologically aortic, coronary then carotid. Age is a risk factor in that it reflects the exposure time of individual to the other risk factors. The frequency of the atherosclerosis increases with age because of the aging of the cells. This study was undertaken to evaluate the hypolipidemic and anti-atherosclerotic properties of aqueous extract of the leaves of F. glumosa in rats with hypercholesterolemia (HC). 60 male rats were fed for 4 weeks with a high-cholesterol diet (1%) and 3 doses (225, 300 and 375 mg/kg) of extract of F. glumosa were used in these experiments. The experiments were conducted under the same conditions with atorvastatin (1 mg/kg), as pharmacological reference substance. The effects of F. glumosa on weight gain, water and food consumption, levels of serum lipids and lipoprotein lipid oxidation and stress markers in the blood and liver were examined. The administration of F. glumosa extract prevented significant (P<0.05) elevation in TC, LDL-c, VLDL-c, hepatic and aortic TG and TC. The atherogenic, triglyceride, and lipid peroxidation (TBARS) indexes were also decreased in the rats treated with the extract. F. glumosa favored the performance of fecal cholesterol. It also significantly inhibited the changes and the formation of aortic atherosclerotic plaques. These results revealed the hypolipidemic and antiatherosclerotic effects of F. glumosa extract and support the traditional use of the extract of this plant in the treatment of hypertension and diabetes.

Toxicological and pharmacological concerns on oxidative stress and related diseases

Although reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as superoxide, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical are generated as the natural byproduct of normal oxygen metabolism, they can create oxidative damage via interaction with bio-molecules. The role of oxidative stress as a remarkable upstream part is frequently reported in the signaling cascade of inflammation as well as chemo attractant production. Even though hydrogen peroxide can control cell signaling and stimulate cell proliferation at low levels, in higher concentrations it can initiate apoptosis and in very high levels may create necrosis. So far, the role of ROS in cellular damage and death is well documented with implicating in a broad range of degenerative alterations e.g. carcinogenesis, aging and other oxidative stress related diseases (OSRDs). Reversely, it is cleared that antioxidants are potentially able to suppress (at least in part) the immune system and to enhance the normal cellular protective responses to tissue damage. In this review, we aimed to provide insights on diverse OSRDs, which are correlated with the concept of oxidative stress as well as its cellular effects that can be inhibited by antioxidants. Resveratrol, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, statins, nebivolol and carvedilol, pentaerythritol tetranitrate, mitochondria-targeted antioxidants, and plant-derived drugs (alone or combined) are the potential medicines that can be used to control OSRD.