Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra,) used as the rhizome, is used for medicine and for cooking. A number of flavonoids have been isolated from this plant. Isoliquiritigenin (ILN) is one licorice flavonoid which has been found to have medicinal effects. ILN is a weak estrogen receptor agonist, as are many other flavonoids.
Aromatase is an enzyme necessary for estrogen production by the body. Breast cancer has been related to excessive breast exposure to estrogen. Aromatase inhibitors block estrogen production and are more effective than tamoxifen in protecting women who have already had cancer in one breast from getting cancer in the other breast.
MCF-7 cells are used in research to evaluate breast cancer treatments. The authors used these cells to evaluate ILN as cancer cell treatment. MCF-7 cells were grown in cultures and treated with solutions of ILN for aromatase inhibition for 24 hours. The ILN was found to inhibit the cell growth by inhibition of aromatase.
Mice with ovaries removed received transplants of breast cancer cells. Body weight and tumor size were measured for 12 weeks. ILN supplemented diets were found to inhibit any tumor growth.
A previous study showed that a specific type of cancer cells can be used to test enzyme inhibition. This method was used to test ILN for the ability to inhibit testosterone-induced cell growth. ILN could block aromatase and prevent cell growth in which the cell growth was caused by testosterone. ILN was also used test for tolerance to ILN and for estrogen effect. ILN was not found to have estrogen effects in mice and no adverse effects were seen.
Red wine extract inhibits aromatase activity, also.
CONCLUSION: “ILN (from licorice) might be a potential therapeutic or chemopreventive natural product for treating this disease” of breast cancer.
NOTE: Read about the possibility of muscle disease resulting from red yeast rice and licorice.
To read the author’s abstract of the article click on the link to the author’s title of the article above.
PMID: 19065667.
Summary #391.
