Journal
CANCER LETTERS
Volume 230, Issue 2, Pages 239-247Publisher
ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2004.12.038
Keywords
breast cancer; Chinese licorice root; Glycyrrhiza uralensis; apoptosis; chemoprevention; cell cycle arrest
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Much of the interest on the chemopreventive properties of licorice has been focused on the plant genius Glycyrrhiza glabra. In this study the ethanol extract of Chinese licorice root, Glycyrrhiza uralensis (G. uralensis) was investigated for its estrogenic effect and the ability to inhibit cell proliferation in the MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line. The extract of the root of G. uralensis was fractionated in EtOH:H2O (80:20) (80% ethanol). The extract exhibited estrogenic effects similar to 17 beta-estradiol (E2) and induced apoptosis at the same dose level (100 mu g/ml) in MCF-7 breast cancer cells, results were associated with up-regulation of tumor suppressor gene p53 and pro-apoptotic protein Bax. G. uralensis extract caused the up-regulation of p21(waf1/cip1) and downregulation of cdk 2 and cyclin E and most significantly, induced G1 cell cycle arrest. This is the first study to show that the ethanolic extract of the root of G. uralensis has an estrogen-like activity and anti-cancer effects against MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. Whilst the use of phytoestrogens to protect against hormone-dependent cancers or as a 'natural' alternative to hormone replacement therapy remains controversial, the data in this paper support the suggestion that extracts of root of the Chinese licorice G. uralensis might be of importance in this debate. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available