ReviewPharmacology & therapeutics2020
Glycyrrhizin: An alternative drug for the treatment of COVID-19 infection and the associated respiratory syndrome?
Review in Pharmacology & therapeutics, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 139 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
139 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 297 citations in OpenAlex.
- Chinese herbal medicine: Fighting SARS-CoV-2 infection on all fronts.Journal of ethnopharmacology · 2021Pooled it
- Nebulized glycyrrhizin/enoxolone drug modulates IL-17A in COVID-19 patients: a randomized clinical trial.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Trial
- The self-assembly mechanisms of glycyrrhizic acid: Permeation enhancement and transdermal applications.International journal of pharmaceutics: X · 2026Review
- Unraveling the ameliorative effects of Ling-Gui-Zhu-Gan decoction on MASLD: an integrative gut microbiota and lipidomic study.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Astrocyte-derived HMGB1 compromises the integrity of the blood-brain barrier through the CaM/CaMKII/AQP4 pathway and the protective function of trifluoperazine.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- Conjugated Hyperbilirubinemia in a Patient With COVID-19: A Case Report and Literature Review.Cureus · 2025Article
- Natural Compounds with Antiviral Activity Against Clinically Relevant RNA Viruses: Advances of the Last Decade.Biomolecules · 2025Review
- Glycosylated 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid derivatives as promising inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease.RSC advances · 2025Article
- Network Pharmacology and Experiment Verification-Based Strategy for Exploring the Mechanisms of Shuqing Granule in the Treatment of COVID-19.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Fatty Acids and Inflammatory Protein Biomarkers From Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients.Immunity, inflammation and disease · 2025Article
- A Direct Relationship Between 'Blood Stasis' and Fibrinaloid Microclots in Chronic, Inflammatory, and Vascular Diseases, and Some Traditional Natural Products Approaches to Treatment.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Suitable habitat prediction and desertified landscape remediation potential of three medicinal Glycyrrhiza species in China.Scientific reports · 2025Article
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- Antiviral treatment for viral pneumonia: current drugs and natural compounds.Virology journal · 2025Review
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- Article
- Musashi-2 potentiates colorectal cancer immune infiltration by regulating the post-translational modifications of HMGB1 to promote DCs maturation and migration.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2024Article
- Molecular docking as a tool for the discovery of novel insight about the role of acid sphingomyelinase inhibitors in SARS- CoV-2 infectivity.BMC public health · 2024Review
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- Repurposing of Plant-based Antiviral Molecules for the Treatment of COVID-19.Current topics in medicinal chemistry · 2024Review
79 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Safe and efficient drugs to combat the current COVID-19 pandemic are urgently needed. In this context, we have analyzed the anti-coronavirus potential of the natural product glycyrrhizic acid (GLR), a drug used to treat liver diseases (including viral hepatitis) and specific cutaneous inflammation (such as atopic dermatitis) in some countries. The properties of GLR and its primary active metabolite glycyrrhetinic acid are presented and discussed. GLR has shown activities against different viruses, including SARS-associated Human and animal coronaviruses. GLR is a non-hemolytic saponin and a potent immuno-active anti-inflammatory agent which displays both cytoplasmic and membrane effects. At the membrane level, GLR induces cholesterol-dependent disorganization of lipid rafts which are important for the entry of coronavirus into cells. At the intracellular and circulating levels, GLR can trap the high mobility group box 1 protein and thus blocks the alarmin functions of HMGB1. We used molecular docking to characterize further and discuss both the cholesterol- and HMG box-binding functions of GLR. The membrane and cytoplasmic effects of GLR, coupled with its long-established medical use as a relatively safe drug, make GLR a good candidate to be tested against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, alone and in combination with other drugs. The rational supporting combinations with (hydroxy)chloroquine and tenofovir (two drugs active against SARS-CoV-2) is also discussed. Based on this analysis, we conclude that GLR should be further considered and rapidly evaluated for the treatment of patients with COVID-19.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.