Glycyrrhizin: An alternative drug for the treatment of COVID-19 infection and the associated respiratory syndrome?

Abstract

Safe and efficient drugs to combat the current COVID-19 pandemic are urgently needed. In this context, we have analyzed the anti-coronavirus potential of the natural product glycyrrhizic acid (GLR), a drug used to treat liver diseases (including viral hepatitis) and specific cutaneous inflammation (such as atopic dermatitis) in some countries. The properties of GLR and its primary active metabolite glycyrrhetinic acid are presented and discussed. GLR has shown activities against different viruses, including SARS-associated Human and animal coronaviruses. GLR is a non-hemolytic saponin and a potent immuno-active anti-inflammatory agent which displays both cytoplasmic and membrane effects. At the membrane level, GLR induces cholesterol-dependent disorganization of lipid rafts which are important for the entry of coronavirus into cells. At the intracellular and circulating levels, GLR can trap the high mobility group box 1 protein and thus blocks the alarmin functions of HMGB1. We used molecular docking to characterize further and discuss both the cholesterol-and HMG boxbinding functions of GLR. The membrane and cytoplasmic effects of GLR, coupled with its long-established medical use as a relatively safe drug, make GLR a good candidate to be tested against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, alone and in combination with other drugs. The rational supporting combinations with (hydroxy)chloroquine and tenofovir (two drugs active against SARS-CoV-2) is also discussed. Based on this analysis, we conclude that GLR should be further considered and rapidly evaluated for the treatment of patients with COVID-19.

Immunomodulatory Effects of Diterpenes and Their Derivatives Through NLRP3 Inflammasome Pathway: A Review

“…Glycyrrhizin (also called glycyrrhizic acid), a triterpenoid saponin isolated, is used in Chinese Pharmacopeia (54). Recently, it has been demonstrated that this triterpene may be a hope in the Covid-19 pandemic (55). Diterpenes are often with the molecular formula C 20 H 32 , which is composed of repeated isoprene subunits.…”

Prospect of biobased antiviral face mask to limit the coronavirus outbreak

“…Glycyrrhizinic acid (GLR), a triterpenoid saponin, is mainly isolated from licorice root, which is effective against a variety of human viruses ( Ashfaq et al, 2011 ). The study by the researcher ( Bailly and Vergoten, 2020 ) shows clear evidence that glycyrrhizinic acid isolated from licorice has antiviral properties that can deactivate the virus and stop replication. Droplet microbes are locked on the agent and infectious droplets are rapidly opened by hydrophilic action leading to exposure of viruses.…”

Liver X Receptors: Regulators of Cholesterol Metabolism, Inflammation, Autoimmunity, and Cancer

“…Altered lipid profiles have been associated with poor outcome of multiple sclerosis (MS) (75)(76)(77)(78)(79)(80), an autoimmune disease characterized by inflammatory cell infiltrates and demyelination (81,82). In this regard, obesity, among other environmental factors, has been described as a risk factor for MS in several epidemiological studies (83)(84)(85)(86). In animal models of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the most common experimental model for human inflammatory demyelinating disease, selected agonists of LXRs (e.g., T0901317) have been shown to improve the severity of central nervous system inflammation (30).…”