Glycyrrhizin monoammonium salt

Glycyrrhizic acid is a natural triterpenoid saponin that can be isolated from the root of licorice. It is an agonist of the human sweet taste receptor and is used as a flavorant. Glycyrrhizic acid has diverse cellular effects at low doses, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antiviral actions. Presumably through its role as an antioxidant, glycyrrhizic acid alters signaling through a variety of signaling pathways, impacting pathologies such as metabolic syndrome, fibrosis, and ultraviolet-B-induced skin damage in cellular and animal models.

Pharmaceutical secondary standards for application in quality control, provide pharma laboratories and manufacturers with a convenient and cost-effective alternative to the preparation of in-house working standards. Ammonium Glycyrrhizate is the ammonium salt of glycyrrhizic acid (GA), an important ingredient in the liquorice root with a broad-spectrum of biological and pharmacological properties.

Glycyrrhizic acid (GA) is a non-selective inhibitor of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11β-HSD), which mediates the inter-conversion of active and inactive glucocorticoids. GA also shows inhibitory effect on the cytokine activity of high-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1).

Ammonium glycyrrhizate is a commercial flavorant and emulsifer found in Glycyrrhiza. It inhibits 11β-HSD and is used to treat herpes virus infection. It inhibits viral entry to host cells, prevents glial inflammation and kaninic acid-induced neuronal death, and suppresses DMH-induced carcinogenesis.

Glycyrrhizin is a natural triterpenoid and the main active ingredient of licorice. In humans, the main side effects are increasing blood pressure (hypertension) and of enhancing the risk of hypokalemia-induced disorders, i.e. caused by low potassium levels in blood (Omar, 2012). Used as a flavouring agent, glycyrrhizin is the triterpenoid compound behind the sweet taste of licorice. Glycyrrhizin is naturally present at concentrations up to 25% in the roots of the Glycyrrhiza glabra. In mice, rats, and human cancer cell lines, glycyrrhizin is an antioxidant and a DNA-protective agent with additional, multiple anticancer activities.