Gallic and glycyrrhetinic acids prevent azithromycin-induced liver damage in rats by mitigating oxidative stress and inflammation

Investigation of the attenuation effect of licorice on the toxicity of rhubarb using a P-gp lipid raft bioaffinity chromatography

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

As a classic clinical drug pair that was first recorded in Shanghan Lun, the combination of rhubarb and licorice has been known to reduce the toxic side effects of rhubarb, while enhancing its therapeutic efficacy. Despite its benefits, the exact mechanism through which licorice mitigates toxicity requires further investigation.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This research seeks to explore the effect of main active components of licorice on absorption and transport of rhein and emodin as well as provide new insights into the detoxification properties of licorice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A P-glycoprotein (P-gp) lipid raft bioaffinity chromatography was developed to screen the main active components of licorice and rhubarb. Afterward, molecular docking was applied to study the interactions of these components with breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP), multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (MRP2), and P-gp efflux proteins. Further experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of these components on efflux transporters and their impact on absorption and transport of rhein and emodin.

RESULTS

The P-gp lipid raft bioaffinity chromatography could effectively screen the active components in rhubarb and licorice that interacted with P-gp. Molecular docking, Western blot and real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) experiments showed that glycyrrhizin (GL), glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), and liquiritin (LI) interacted with P-gp, BCRP, and MRP2, thereby promoting their efflux and increasing their expression. Additionally, GA reduced Claudin-1 protein expression with further studies confirming that these components enhanced the efflux of rhein and emodin.

CONCLUSION

This study found that GL and GA derived from licorice could reduce the toxicity of rhein and emodin in Caco-2 cells, enhance P-gp efflux, and provide new insights into detoxification mechanisms of licorice.

Study the impact of Galangin and Alpinia galanga L. on the activation of apoptosis in breast cancer

Breast cancer is still a major worldwide health problem. Metastasis, the dissemination of cancerous cells to distant tissues, significantly contributes to death. Galangin, a flavonoid from many plants, has shown encouraging anti-cancer effects in preclinical research. This research sought to examine the impact of Galangin on the transcription of critical invasiveness genes in breast cancer cells. Alpinia galanga L. was extracted, and the solubility of Galangin in excipients was assessed. MCF7 cells were punctured, and the cytotoxicity of Alpinia galanga L. and Galangin was assessed using the MTT assay. The induction of apoptosis was examined by flow cytometry. The transcription of apoptosis-related genes was assessed using quantitative real-time PCR. The assessment of Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) and the bioinformatics-based construction of gene networks related to breast cancer were conducted. The study found that Galangin significantly increased the survival rates of MCF7 cells after 72 h of exposure to 1000 µg/ml and 500 µg/ml extracts. The IC50 was set at 500 µg/ml. Galangin treatment led to a 10.4% early apoptosis incidence, 22.2% late apoptosis, 2.39% necrosis, and a 65% survival rate. Alpinia galanga L. extract inducing apoptosis was 19.03%, while Galangin application produced 32.6% apoptosis. The transcription levels of GPX and P53 genes associated with programmed cell death were significantly elevated after treatment with Galangin. The transcription level of the MMP2 gene was significantly decreased in MCF7 cells treated with Galangin and Alpinia galanga L. compared to the PBS-treated group. Treatment with Galangin and Alpinia galanga L. decreased the total antioxidant capacity. Galangin significantly reduced the antioxidant activities compared to other groups. Galangin shows potential as an effective treatment against breast cancer by regulating cellular growth and death. Further research is required to validate the therapeutic efficacy of Galangin and to clarify its processes in breast cancer.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10616-025-00789-5.