Hepatoprotective Effects of a Proprietary Glycyrrhizin Product during Alcohol Consumption: A Randomized, Double‐Blind, Placebo‐Controlled, Crossover Study

Abstract

Traditionally, licorice has been used to treat liver problems. Glycyrrhizin, the primary active compound, has been shown to suppress elevations in liver enzymes that occur when the liver becomes diseased or damaged. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study evaluated the hepatoprotective effects of a proprietary glycyrrhizin product during alcohol consumption. Twelve healthy individuals (six male and six female subjects) in a clinic setting consumed vodka nightly for 12 days with the glycyrrhizin product or placebo (blank control), achieving a blood alcohol level of 0.12%. Liver function enzymes including alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), and alkaline phosphatase and serum reduced glutathione were measured at overnight visits 1, 6, and 12. In the alcohol only group, AST, ALT, and GGT significantly increased from baseline (overnight visit 1) to overnight visit 12. In the active group, no statistically significant increases were observed for AST, ALT, and GGT, while alkaline phosphatase significantly decreased and plasma glutathione decreased relative to the alcohol control group. These results suggest that consumption of the proprietary glycyrrhizin study product during alcohol consumption may support improved liver health compared with drinking alcohol alone. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A first report of porphyria cutanea tarda successfully treated with glycyrrhizin

“…F I G U R E 1 (a and b) Trythema, bullae, crusts, and hyperpigmentations on the dorsum of hand and neck. (c and d) The same patient was treated with glycyrrhizin for 1 month Glycyrrhizin is a potent hepatoprotective constituent extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine liquorice, and is clinically used for treating chronic liver diseases in Asian countries (Chigurupati et al, 2016). Our patient had a history of having continuously ingested alcohol for 30 years before the onset of disease.…”

“…Emerging evidence demonstrated that glycyrrhizin acted as an antioxidant inhibiting reactive oxygen species formation and inhibit secretion of cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1, and IL-6 (Ishida et al, 2012). Recently, the hepatoprotective effects of glycyrrhizin during alcohol consumption have been confirmed in a randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study (Chigurupati et al, 2016). Consistently, in our case, glycyrrhizin downregulated the levels of liver enzymes and PCT severity, suggesting that elevated levels of liver enzymes GGT, AST and ALT not only predict the status of liver damage but also directly reflect the severity of PCT.…”

Combination therapy with acitretin and glycyrrhizin in generalized pustular psoriasis with liver test abnormalities: A case series

“…Glycyrrhizin is a potent hepatoprotective constituent extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine liquorice, and is clinically used for treating chronic liver diseases in Asian countries. Moreover, glycyrrhizin has exhibited immune‐modulatory effects in vivo and in vitro 3 . Combination therapies may enhance efficacy and avoid adverse events, therefore, we speculated that glycyrrhizin would be a proper candidate in combination therapy of GPP patients with LTA.…”

Toxicological Effects of Glycyrrhiza glabra (Licorice): A Review

“…G. glabra and its bioactive compounds have antioxidant (Sil and Chakraborti, ), antiviral (Nassiri Asl and Hosseinzadeh, ), antimicrobial, antiprotozoal, antiinflammatory, and immunomodulatory activities (Nassiri Asl and Hosseinzadeh, ). They could reverse drug resistance of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections (Gaur et al ., ) and evoke hepatoprotective (Chigurupati et al ., ; Nassiri Asl and Hosseinzadeh, ) and antitumor effects (Nassiri Asl and Hosseinzadeh, ). Besides, they could be used as a remedy in cardiovascular diseases and diabetes owing to their antiplatelet aggregation activity, thrombin inhibitory effects, vasorelaxant effects, antiangiogenic properties, and positive effects on peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor ɤ (PPARɤ) (Nassiri Asl and Hosseinzadeh, ; Hosseinzadeh and Nassiri Asl, ).…”