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Anti‐hepatitis C virus compounds obtained from Glycyrrhiza uralensi s and other Glycyrrhiza species
Author(s) -
Adianti Myrna,
Aoki Chie,
Komoto Mari,
Deng Lin,
Shoji Ikuo,
Wahyuni Tutik Sri,
Lusida Maria Inge,
Fuchino Hiroyuki,
Kawahara Nobuo,
Hotta Hak
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
microbiology and immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1348-0421
pISSN - 0385-5600
DOI - 10.1111/1348-0421.12127
Subject(s) - glycyrrhiza uralensis , isoliquiritigenin , liquiritigenin , glycyrrhizin , glycyrrhiza , traditional medicine , chalcone , biology , chemistry , pharmacology , medicine , stereochemistry , alternative medicine , pathology
Development of complementary and/or alternative drugs for treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is still much needed from clinical and economic points of view. Antiviral substances obtained from medicinal plants are potentially good targets to study. Glycyrrhiza uralensis and G. glabra have been commonly used in both traditional and modern medicine. In this study, extracts of G. uralensis roots and their components were examined for anti‐HCV activity using an HCV cell culture system. It was found that a methanol extract of G. uralensis roots and its chloroform fraction possess anti‐HCV activity with 50%‐inhibitory concentrations (IC 50 ) of 20.0 and 8.0 μg/mL, respectively. Through bioactivity‐guided purification and structural analysis, glycycoumarin, glycyrin, glycyrol and liquiritigenin were isolated and identified as anti‐HCV compounds, their IC 50 being 8.8, 7.2, 4.6 and 16.4 μg/mL, respectively. However, glycyrrhizin, the major constituent of G. uralensis , and its monoammonium salt, showed only marginal anti‐HCV activity. It was also found that licochalcone A and glabridin, known to be exclusive constituents of G. inflata and G. glabra , respectively, did have anti‐HCV activity, their IC 50 being 2.5 and 6.2 μg/mL, respectively. Another chalcone, isoliquiritigenin, also showed anti‐HCV activity, with an IC 50 of 3.7 μg/mL. Time‐of‐addition analysis revealed that all Glycyrrhiza ‐derived anti‐HCV compounds tested in this study act at the post‐entry step. In conclusion, the present results suggest that glycycoumarin, glycyrin, glycyrol and liquiritigenin isolated from G. uralensis, as well as isoliquiritigenin, licochalcone A and glabridin, would be good candidates for seed compounds to develop antivirals against HCV.