Glycyrrhetinic Acid

Liorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch.), a widely used Chinese herbal medicine, is frequently employed in clinical practice to treat viral pneumonia. However, the pharmacodynamic substances and mechanisms of action responsible for its antiviral effects against H1N1 and RSV remain unclear.

To investigate the antiviral effects of licorice against H1N1 and RSV. Building on this, we aimed to more comprehensively and accurately identify the pharmacodynamic substances in licorice responsible for its antiviral activity and mechanisms of action against these two viruses.

Firstly, the antiviral effects of licorice against H1N1 and RSV were confirmed through in vivo and in vitro experiments. Then, a combination of virus-based affinity ultrafiltration method (VAUM) and serum pharmacochemistry were used to screen for pharmacological substances in licorice and identify their molecular targets against H1N1 and RSV.

The in vivo experiments showed that licorice effectively alleviates H1N1 and RSV induced weight loss and lung tissue damage in mice, while also reducing viral loads of H1N1 and RSV in the lungs. Subsequent in vitro experiments confirmed the presence of original compounds in licorice that directly inhibit H1N1 and RSV. By combining both methods, glycyrrhizic acid, glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), isoliquiritigenin (ISL), and glyasperin A (targeting the M2 ion channel) were ultimately identified as the pharmacodynamic substances in licorice responsible for anti-H1N1 activity. Additionally, licochalcone A (LCA) and glyasperin A, which target RSV surface proteins, were identified as the pharmacodynamic substances responsible for anti-RSV activity.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) exerts its antiviral effects through a 'multi-component, multi-target' mechanism, which poses challenges for single active compound screening methods to adequately address. By integrating VAUM and serum pharmacochemistry for the first time, one approach focused on identifying compounds in TCM that directly bind to viral surface proteins, while the other targeted compounds that enter the bloodstream in their original form and exhibit antiviral activity. This provides a novel approach for studying the pharmacodynamic substances of antiviral effects in TCM.

Skin wounds are a major health problem of global concern. Prompt and proper care after skin injury is crucial for rapid healing and minimizing scar. Hydrogels are widely used wound dressings in clinical practice due to their ability to create a moist environment for wound healing. However, most hydrogels exhibit high swelling ratio and tend to compress and irritate the wound upon contact with wound exudate, which is counterproductive to the wound healing process. Supramolecular hydrogels formed by self-assembly of natural drug molecules have attracted increasing interest in wound healing due to their intrinsic pharmacological activity and excellent biocompatibility. In this study, a supramolecular nanofiber network hydrogel based on glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) was developed to promote wound healing. The hydrogel network consists of a self-assembled nanofibrous network generated by GA and a cross-linked network formed by gellan gum (GG). The resulting hydrogels have unique low swelling properties as well as good mechanical stability. What's more, the GG/GA hydrogels can absorb water and return to its original state after lyophilization, which facilitates storage. Both in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated high biocompatibility and significant pro-angiogenic effects of GG/GA hydrogel. The wound healing ratio of the rat model treated with GG/GA hydrogel reached 95.49 ± 1.1 % at 14 days. These findings indicate that GG/GA supramolecular hydrogels possess significant potential in promoting wound healing and offer a novel approach for creating low-swelling, easy storage, inherently physiologically active, and highly biocompatibility wound dressings.