Licorice Compound May Prevetn Colon Cancer

Filed in archive Drugs, Vaccines and Therapeutics , Food and Agriculture on March 24, 2009

A compound found in licorice has been demonstrated to help prevent colon cancer in mice trials. The compound works by inhibiting the enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11βHSD2), which is highly expressed in the colon.

The researchers examined expression of 11βHSD2 in human colon polyps and in the colons of mice predisposed to colon cancer. They found that 11βHSD2 was increased in polyps found in both mice and humans and correlated with COX-2 expression and activity.

They then inhibited 11βHSD2 with glycyrrhizic acid, the main sweet-tasting component of licorice, and by silencing the gene for 11βHSD2.

Both treatments inhibited the production of prostaglandin E2 (an inflammatory molecule produced by the COX-2 enzyme) and prevented the development of polyps (adenomas) and tumor growth and metastasis.

Unlike other COX-2 inhibitors currently available, the effects of the licorice compound is specific only to the colon and the kidneys, and though long-term consumption can lead to low blood potassium and increases in blood pressure - side effects linked to the inhibition of 11βHSD2 - these are minor in comparison to the cardiovascular side effects of other COX-2 inhibitors.

The study has been published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.


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