Product name: Licoricidin
Synonym name:
Catalogue No.: SBP03353
Cas No.: 30508-27-1
Formula: C₂₆H₃₂O₅
Mol Weight: 424.537
Botanical Source:
Physical Description:
Type of Compound: Flavonoids

Purity: 95%~99%
Analysis Method: HPLC-DAD or/and HPLC-ELSD
Identification Method: Mass, NMR
Packing: Brown vial or HDPE plastic bottle
The product could be supplied from milligrams to grams. Inquire for bulk scale.
We provide solution to improve the water-solubility of compounds, thereby facilitating the variety of activity tests and clinic uses.

For Reference Standard and R&D, Not for Human Use Directly.

HPLC of Licoricidin

Storage conditions：Short-term storage at 2~8℃, long-term storage at -20 ~ -80℃

Introduction/Overview

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch), as a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, has long been widely used in clinical and health fields due to its diverse pharmacological activities and safety. Licoricetin (hereinafter referred to as LCD) is a natural isoflavone product isolated from licorice, possessing significant biological activity and showing unique potential especially in anti-tumor and anti-aging properties. In recent years, with deepening molecular biology and pharmacological research, the mechanisms of LCD action have become clearer, revealing that it regulates the cell cycle, apoptosis, autophagy, and tumor microenvironment through multiple signaling pathways, exerting anti-cancer and anti-aging effects. This paper aims to systematically review the chemical structure, pharmacological activity, mechanism of action, and clinical application potential of licorice oxidine, providing a theoretical basis for subsequent research and drug development.

Chemical structure and physicochemical properties

Licorrinizedin has the molecular formula C_24H_24O_7 and a molecular weight of 424.53. Its chemical structure belongs to the isoflavone class, featuring a typical flavonoid backbone containing multiple hydroxyl and methoxy substituents. These functional groups endow it with good bioactivity and a certain degree of water solubility. The structural characteristics of LCDs enable them to interact with various biological macromolecules and regulate cellular signaling pathways. Its specific chemical structure shows that the LCD molecules contain multiple conjugated double bond systems and phenolic hydroxyl groups, giving them strong antioxidant capacity.

In terms of physical and chemical properties, LCD appears as a yellow crystalline solid, soluble in organic solvents such as methanol, ethanol, and dichloromethane, and has relatively low water solubility. Its stability is affected by pH and light, and it is suitable for storage under neutral or mildly acidic conditions. Due to their moderate molecular weight, LCDs have good cell membrane permeability, providing a foundation for their intracellular functions.

Plant Origins and Extraction Methods

Licorice Xiding is mainly extracted from the roots of licorice, which is the dried roots and rhizomes of the leguminous plant Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. Traditional extraction methods mostly use alcohol extraction combined with liquid-liquid separation technology. The specific process generally includes:

1. Crude extraction: After crushing dried licorice roots, reflux extraction is performed with 70%-95% ethanol or methanol, generally 2-4 hours, with extraction temperature controlled at 60-80°C.

2. Concentration and separation: After concentration of the extract under reduced pressure, liquid-liquid extraction (such as ethyl acetate or chloroform) is used to separate the portion rich in isoflavones.

3. Chromatographic purification: Further separation and purification of licorice oxidine are performed using silica gel column chromatography, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), and other technologies. Purity testing typically uses HPLC-UV or mass spectrometry techniques.

In recent years, the application of new technologies such as ultrasound-assisted extraction and microwave-assisted extraction has improved the extraction efficiency and purity of LCDs, laying the foundation for large-scale production.

Pharmacological activity research

As a versatile natural product, licorice oxidine has demonstrated broad pharmacological activity across various disease models, with significant progress especially in the fields of anti-tumor and anti-aging.

Anticancer activity

LCD shows significant inhibitory effects on various tumor cells, especially showing potential clinical value in colorectal cancer, osteosarcoma, and lung metastasis models.

• Colorectal cancer: LCD induces cell cycle arrest and blocks tumor cell proliferation. Research shows that LCD can activate apoptosis-related proteins, promote tumor cell apoptosis, and induce autophagy, thereby increasing tumor cell mortality. Its anticancer effects are closely related to the regulation of cyclins, Bcl-2 family proteins, and autophagy-related proteins.

• Osteosarcoma: LCDs can enhance the cytotoxicity of gemcitabine against osteosarcoma cells by inhibiting the activity of Akt and NF-κB signaling pathways, demonstrating synergistic anti-tumor effects. This mechanism provides a new approach for enhancing chemotherapy efficacy for osteosarcoma.

• Suppression of lung metastasis: By inhibiting tumor angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis, LCDs alter the tumor microenvironment and block the metastasis process of tumor cells, showing significant inhibitory effects especially in lung metastasis models.

Anti-aging effects

Licoricezetin also shows unique advantages in preventing and treating skin photoaging. UVA radiation-induced ROS production is one of the main mechanisms of skin photoaging. By scavenging ROS, LCDs block UVA-induced oxidative stress, reduce the activity of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), decrease collagen degradation, and slow down the skin aging process. Therefore, LCD is considered a potential topical anti-aging active ingredient.

Other activities

In addition to the main activities mentioned above, LCDs also exhibit certain anti-inflammatory and antibacterial and immunomodulatory effects, further expanding their pharmacological applications.

Mechanism of action and molecular targets

The multi-target and multi-pathway mechanism of licorice oxidine is an important basis for its pharmacological activity.

Cell cycle regulation

LCD can induce tumor cells to remain stagnant during the G0/G1 or G2/M phases, inhibit the expression of cyclins (such as Cyclin D1, Cyclin E) and their dependent kinases (CDKs), block the cell cycle progression, and limit tumor cell proliferation.

Cell apoptosis and autophagy

LCDs activate endogenous apoptosis pathways, regulate the proportion of Bcl-2 family proteins, promote mitochondrial membrane potential loss and cytochrome C release, activate the Caspase cascade, and induce apoptosis. At the same time, LCDs induce the expression of autophagy-related proteins such as LC3-II, promoting the formation of autophagosomes, enhancing cellular autophagy, and synergistically promoting tumor cell death.

Signal path regulation

• Akt signaling pathway: LCD inhibits phosphorylation of Akt kinase, blocks the PI3K/Akt signaling axis, reduces cell survival signaling, and enhances the sensitivity of chemotherapy drugs.

• NF-κB signaling pathway: By inhibiting nuclear translocation of NF-κB, the LCD reduces the expression of pro-inflammatory factors and anti-apoptotic genes, suppressing tumor cell proliferation and metastasis.

Tumor microenvironment regulation

LCD inhibits the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and lymphangiogenic factor, suppresses the formation of neovascular and lymphatic vessels, blocks tumor nutrient supply and metastasis pathways, and improves the local tumor microenvironment.

Antioxidant mechanism

The phenolic hydroxyl structure of LCDs gives them the ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS), reduce oxidative stress damage, and protect cells from photoaging and inflammatory damage.

Druggability evaluation and pharmacokinetics

Currently, research on the drug-conductability parameters of licorice oxidine is relatively limited, but existing data indicate it has certain development potential.

• Molecular weight: 424.53, moderate, facilitating cell membrane penetration.

• Blood-brain barrier permeability: No definitive data yet; future research needs supplementation.

• Toxicity assessment: Currently, there are no clear reports of hepatotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, or hERG channel inhibition. The safety is relatively good, but further systematic evaluation is needed.

• In vivo pharmacokinetics: Existing research mostly focuses on in vitro activity, and the characteristics of in vivo absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) remain unclear. Given the structural characteristics of LCDs, they may have low water solubility and bioavailability, which require optimization through pharmaceutical formulation technology.

• Drug interactions: LCDs regulate multiple signaling pathways and may interact synergistically or antagonistically with various targeted or chemotherapy drugs. Future research on their drug interaction mechanisms is needed.

Prospects and outlooks for clinical applications

As a natural isoflavone compound, glycyrrhizedine possesses multi-target, multi-mechanism anticancer and anti-aging activities, showing promising clinical development prospects.

• Antitumor drug development: LCD has shown significant efficacy in various tumor models such as colorectal cancer, osteosarcoma, and lung metastases, especially enhancing drug sensitivity in combination chemotherapy, with potential as adjunct anticancer drugs. In the future, systematic preclinical safety evaluations and pharmacokinetic studies should be conducted to promote clinical trials.

• Anti-aging and skin care: The antioxidant and anti-photoaging effects of LCDs offer new ideas for their applications in cosmetics and dermatological pharmaceuticals. Developing topical formulations that leverage their ability to inhibit MMP-1 and clear ROS is expected to become a novel anti-aging active ingredient.

• Multifunctional drug design: By combining the multi-target characteristics of LCDs, we design structurally modified derivatives or nanocarrier systems to enhance bioavailability and targeting, expanding their clinical application scope.

• Safety and toxicology research: Strengthen research on the long-term drug safety and dose-dependent toxicity of LCDs to ensure their clinical safety.

Conclusion

As an important active ingredient in licorice, licorice oxidine has become a hot topic in natural product pharmacology research due to its unique chemical structure and diverse pharmacological activities. Its multiple mechanisms of action in anti-cancer, autophagy regulation, and anti-aging provide a solid foundation for the development of novel anti-tumor and anti-aging drugs. Although research on its druggability and clinical applications is still in its early stages, with advances in modern drug development technology, glycyrrhizedine is expected to become an important candidate for future natural drug development. Future research should focus on in vivo pharmacokinetics, toxicological evaluation, and clinical efficacy validation to promote its transformation into safe and effective clinical use.