Gene induction by glycyrol to apoptosis through endonuclease G in tumor cells and prediction of oncogene function by microarray analysis

Pharmacological Activities of Coumarin Compounds in Licorice: A Review

Licorice is a traditional medicine commonly used in China and many other countries. Over the last 50 years, the structure and pharmacological effects of coumarin compounds in licorice have been investigated. However, a comprehensive review of the literature summarizing current trends is currently lacking. Thus, the aim of the present review is to provide an up-to-date summary of the scientific literature regarding the pharmacological effects of coumarin compounds in licorice, thereby laying the foundation for further research and optimal utilization of licorice. We retrieved 111 articles on the coumarin components of licorice and their potential pharmacological effects, based on titles, keywords, and abstracts from databases (including PubMed and Web of Science). Glycycoumarin, isoglycycoumarin, licoarylcoumarin, licopyranocoumarin, glycyrin, isotrifoliol, glycyrol, and glycyrurol have been investigated for their anticancer, hepatoprotective, antispasmodic, immunosuppressive, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties, and use as therapeutic agents in metabolic syndrome, thereby demonstrating their potential for clinical applications. Future research should further explore the pharmacological mechanisms of action of coumarin compounds, including their antibacterial activities. Investigations into the pharmacological activities of different glycycoumarin isomers might open new research frontiers.

Inhibition of Butyrylcholinesterase and Human Monoamine Oxidase-B by the Coumarin Glycyrol and Liquiritigenin Isolated from Glycyrrhiza uralensis

Eight compounds were isolated from the roots of Glycyrrhiza uralensis and tested for cholinesterase (ChE) and monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitory activities. The coumarin glycyrol (GC) effectively inhibited butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) with IC₅₀ values of 7.22 and 14.77 µM, respectively, and also moderately inhibited MAO-B (29.48 µM). Six of the other seven compounds only weakly inhibited AChE and BChE, whereas liquiritin apioside moderately inhibited AChE (IC₅₀ = 36.68 µM). Liquiritigenin (LG) potently inhibited MAO-B (IC₅₀ = 0.098 µM) and MAO-A (IC₅₀ = 0.27 µM), and liquiritin, a glycoside of LG, weakly inhibited MAO-B (>40 µM). GC was a reversible, noncompetitive inhibitor of BChE with a K_i value of 4.47 µM, and LG was a reversible competitive inhibitor of MAO-B with a K_i value of 0.024 µM. Docking simulations showed that the binding affinity of GC for BChE (−7.8 kcal/mol) was greater than its affinity for AChE (−7.1 kcal/mol), and suggested that GC interacted with BChE at Thr284 and Val288 by hydrogen bonds (distances: 2.42 and 1.92 Å, respectively) beyond the ligand binding site of BChE, but that GC did not form hydrogen bond with AChE. The binding affinity of LG for MAO-B (−8.8 kcal/mol) was greater than its affinity for MAO-A (−7.9 kcal/mol). These findings suggest GC and LG should be considered promising compounds for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease with multi-targeting activities.

Synergistic anti-colon cancer effect of glycyrol and butyrate is associated with the enhanced activation of caspase-3 and structural features of glycyrol

Coumarin-based anti-cancer agents have attracted considerable attention recently. Butyrate, a major short-chain fatty acid produced in colon by gut microbiota, has been shown to exert anticancer activity both in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we evaluated the anti-cancer effect of combining glycyrol (GC), a representative of coumarin compounds in licorice, or its analogues Glycycoumarin/Demethylsuberosin/Coumestrol (GCM/De/Coum) with butyrate in HT29 and HCT116 cells, and explored the relationship between the combined anti-cancer effect and structural features of coumarin compounds. Results showed the strongest inhibitory effect on cancer cells was induced by GC/butyrate combination via enhanced activation of caspase-3. Our data indicated the benzofuranyl, isopentenyl and methoxy groups presented in GC played critical role in its anti-cancer activity, while the furan group led to the further enhancement. The findings of the present study will be beneficial for developing coumarin-based compounds and coumarin compound-based regimen to fight against colon cancer.

Role of Endonuclease G in Exogenous DNA Stability in HeLa Cells

Endonuclease G (EndoG) is a well-conserved mitochondrial-nuclear nuclease with dual lethal and vital roles in the cell. The aim of our study was to examine whether EndoG exerts its nuclease activity on exogenous DNA substrates such as plasmid DNA (pDNA), considering their importance in gene therapy applications. The effects of EndoG knockdown on pDNA stability and levels of encoded reporter gene expression were evaluated in the cervical carcinoma HeLa cells. Transfection of pDNA vectors encoding short-hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) reduced levels of EndoG mRNA in HeLa cells. In physiological circumstances, EndoG knockdown did not have an effect on the stability of pDNA or the levels of encoded transgene expression as measured over a four-day time course. However, when endogenous expression of EndoG was induced by an extrinsic stimulus, targeting of EndoG by shRNA improved the perceived stability and transgene expression of pDNA vectors. Therefore, EndoG is not a mediator of exogenous DNA clearance, but in non-physiological circumstances, it may nonspecifically cleave intracellular DNA regardless of its origin. These findings make it unlikely that targeting of EndoG is a viable strategy for improving the duration and level of transgene expression from nonviral DNA vectors in gene therapy efforts.

Evaluation of the Antibacterial Efficacy of Azadirachta Indica, Commiphora Myrrha, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Against Enterococcus Faecalis using Real Time PCR

AIM

To compare the antibacterial efficacy of Azadirachta indica (Neem), Commiphora myrrha (Myrrh), Glycyrrhiza glabra (Liquorice) with 2% Chlorhexidine (CHX) against E. faecalis by using Real Time PCR.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of fifty teeth specimens (n=50) were inoculated with E. faecalis for 21 days. Specimens were divided into five groups (Group 1: Myrrh, Group 2: Neem, Group 3: Liquorice, Group 4: 2% CHX and Group 5: Saline (negative control)). The intracanal medicaments were packed inside the tooth. After 5 days, the remaining microbial load was determined by using real time PCR.

RESULTS

Threshold cycle (Ct) values of Myrrh extract, Neem extract, Liquorice Extract, 2% CHX and saline were found to be 30.94, 23.85, 21.38, 30.93 and 17.8 respectively.

CONCLUSION

Myrrh extract showed inhibition of E.faecalis equal to that of 2% CHX followed by Neem, Liquorice and Saline.

Investigation of selective inhibitory effects of glycyrol on human CYP 1A1 and 2C9

1. Glycyrol is a coumarin derivative isolated from the roots of Glycyrrhiza uralensis called Gamcho in Korea and commonly used as a sweetener in oriental medicine. Glycyrol shows several biological activities, including anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-angiogenic, and anti-allergenic properties. Although there have been studies on the biological effects of glycyrol, the inhibitory effects of glycyrol on cytochrome P450 (CYP) activities have not been investigated. 2. We investigated the inhibitory effects of glycyrol on the activities of CYP isoforms using a cocktail of probe substrates in pooled human liver microsome (HLM) and human recombinant cDNA-expressed CYPs. Glycyrol strongly inhibited CYP1A-mediated phenacetin O-deethylation and CYP2C9-mediated diclofenac 4'-hydroxylation in HLMs, which were the result of competitive inhibition as revealed by a Dixon plot. In addition, glycyrol showed selective inhibition of CYP1A1- and CYP1A2-catalyzed phenacetin O-deethylase activity with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration of (IC50) 1.3 and 16.1 μM in human recombinant cDNA-expressed CYP1A1 and CYP1A2, respectively. 3. Glycyrol decreased CYP2C9-catalyzed diclofenac 4'-hydroxylation activity with IC50 values of 0.67 μM in human recombinant cDNA-expressed CYP2C9. This is the first investigation of competitive inhibitory effects on CYP1A1 and CYP2C9 in HLMs.