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Glycyrrhiza glabra L. root essential oil (GGEO) has well‐known antimicrobial and therapeutic features. In this study, a new antimicrobial carboxymethyl cellulose–polyvinyl alcohol (CMC‐PVA) binary film was developed using GGEO as an active compound. The effects of various concentrations of GGEO (0.25%, 0.50%, and 0.75%) were scrutinized on the physicochemical and antibacterial properties of composites. It was discovered that GGEO significantly reduced the composite ultimate tensile strength from 17.01 to 3.86 MPa. Further, by increasing the concentration of GGEO to 0.75%, the water vapor permeability and moisture content increased to 13.61 × 10−9 g/m s−1 Pa−1 and 41.06%, respectively. The results indicated that the active films possessed good inhibitory effects against the gram‐positive bacteria (L. monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus) and were less powerful against gram‐negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and S. typhimurium). Finally, the results highlighted that GGEO can act as an excellent antimicrobial agent in combination with CMC‐PVA composite., Glycyrrhiza glabra L. root essential oil (GGEO) has well‐known antimicrobial and therapeutic features. In this study, a new antimicrobial carboxymethyl cellulose–polyvinyl alcohol (CMC‐PVA) binary film was developed using GGEO as an active compound.

Literature on microgreens, an emerging new functional food crop, remains limited. Further study on microgreens as a promising dietary component for potential use in diet-based disease prevention is, therefore, essential. Given that the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties of mature licorice root material are well-documented, the objective of the present, preliminary study was to present licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) as a novel, edible fresh-food microgreen candidate. The effect of leaf, stem and root polyphenol extracts of 20-day old licorice microgreen seedlings on cell proliferation and viability of Caco-2 cells (simulating the intestinal epithelium), after pro-inflammatory induction of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), was examined and then compared to the polyphenol, flavonoid and anti-radical activities of the respective tissue extracts. Root extracts contained a two-fold less polyphenol (including flavonoid) content compared to leaf extracts, but with a five-fold lower anti-radical scavenging activity. Only the root extracts provided functional protection in terms of preserving cell proliferation and viability of LPS-treated Caco-2 cells. Some protection was also afforded by the stems, but the young leaf material offered no anti-inflammatory protection. Results point to a differing composition of anti-inflammatory polyphenols between the root and leaf, suggesting that the protective efficacy of the root extracts (and to some degree, the stem extracts) resides in inhibiting the pro-inflammatory cascade and resultant cytotoxic effects as opposed to a direct anti-radical scavenging activity. Potential use of licorice as a microgreen is promising, but will necessitate further study.

Glycyrrhiza glabra (Licorice) belongs to the Fabaceae family and its extracts have exhibited significant fungicidal activity against phytopathogenic fungi, which has mainly been attributed to the presence of phenolic compounds such as flavonoids, isoflavonoids and chalcones. In this study, a series of licorice flavonoids, isoflavonoids and chalcones were evaluated for their fungicidal activity against phytopathogenic fungi. Among them, glabridin exhibited significant fungicidal activity against ten kinds of phytopathogenic fungi. Notably, glabridin displayed the most active against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum with an EC50 value of 6.78 µg/mL and was 8-fold more potent than azoxystrobin (EC50, 57.39 µg/mL). Moreover, the in vivo bioassay also demonstrated that glabridin could effectively control S. sclerotiorum. The mechanism studies revealed that glabridin could induce reactive oxygen species accumulation, the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and cell membrane destruction through effecting the expression levels of phosphatidylserine decarboxylase that exerted its fungicidal activity. These findings indicated that glabridin exhibited pronounced fungicidal activities against S. sclerotiorum and could be served as a potential fungicidal candidate.

The high number of poisoning food and diarrheal diseases caused by Bacillus cereus bacteria has been treated with chemical drugs and traditionally herbal plants. One of the commonly used herbal plants is sweet root (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.). This study aims to extract and fractionate sweet root plants, determine the antibacterial activity and identify the types of bioactive compounds as antibacterial compounds. The extraction process uses a maceration technique and fractionation using buthanol, ethyl acetate, and hexan solvents. Antibacterial activity was carry out by the diffusion method and identification of bioactive compounds by GCMS analysis. This study showed that greatest antibacterial activity was found in ethyl acetate fraction with a strong category and MIC value of 12,5%. This study for the first time also revealed that the types of bioactive compounds from sweet root plants (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) as antibacterial compounds are n-Hexadecanoic as a fatty acid group and 4H-Pyran 4-one 2.3 dihydro-3, 5-dihydroxy-6 methyl from the flavonoid group.

Licorice ( Glycyrrhiza glabra ) is the rhizome and root known as sweet wood. Two varieties of Glycyrrhiza (var. glabra and var. glandulifera ) were studied. The major objective of this study was to establish callus induction on Glycyrrhiza and to assess the molecular genetic variation between the mother plants and their calli using ISSR markers. Calli were formed from leaves of Glycyrrhiza cultured on Murashige and Skoog’s medium supplemented with combinations of various concentrations of auxins and cytokinins. The highest callus induction and callus fresh weight of 2 varieties tested were obtained on a medium containing 0.5 mg/l 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid with 1mg/l 1-naphthalene acetic acid and 0.5 mg/l kinetin. Genomic DNA was isolated from plants and calli using cetyltriethyl ammonium bromide method and amplified by PCR using ISSR primers. The results showed the presence of genetic variations at the DNA level during in vitro culture between callus and mother plants.

Background: Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L., Fabaceae) is a well-known herb that it used in traditional medicine due to pharmacological activities. Licorice in herbal medicine is used as a tonic, expectorant and demulcent factor. This plant has antioxidant, immunostimulant, anti-allergenic and anti-ulcer activities. The aim of present study was to, comparisons of effect of ethanol extracts licorice root with glibenclamide on activity of liver enzymes in normal and alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: In the present study, oral administration of licorice extract (50, 200 and 400 mg/kg per body wt.) and glibenclamide (600 µg/kg) were performed as the standard antidiabetic medicine, during 30 days. Then, the activity of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in normal and diabetic rats were evaluated. Data were analyzed by using SPSS-10 software and the ANOVA test was used. Results: Oral administrations of licorice extract significantly decreased activity of AST and ALT in serum of diabetic rats but not in normal rats. The licorice extract as same as glibenclamide significantly decreased activity of liver enzymes. Conclusion: It is concluded that the licorice can be considered as a suitable candidate for future studies on diabetes mellitus.

Aloe vera (Aloe vera L.) contains amino acids, vitamins, folic acid, and liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L) containing glisirizin, and flavonoids, which have properties as fertilizer hair. This study aims to obtain a combination of extracts with activity most optimal fertilizer hair, made 3 combination with a combination of 1 (the water extract of liquorice concentration of 2.5% and 7.5% aloe vera), a combination of 2 (the water extract of liquorice concentrations of 2, 5% and 2.5% aloe vera), and combinations of 3 (the water extract of liquorice concentration of 5% and 7.5% aloe vera). Testing the activity of hair growth is done by measuring the rate of hair growth, hair growth acceleration and weight of rabbit hair for 28 days. Rabbit hair growth results showed the combination 1 has an average length of the largest hair with hair growth rate value of 2.97 cm, accelerated hair growth amounted to 0.15 cm / day on day 7 and weighing 0.13 gram hair.

The severity and frequency of opportunistic fungal infections still growing, concomitantly to the increasing rates of antimicrobial drugs resistance. Natural matrices have been used over years due to its multitude of health benefits, including antifungal potential. Thus, the present work aims to evaluate the anti-Candida potential of the phenolic extract and individual phenolic compounds of Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (licorice), by disc diffusion assay, followed by determination of the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC) for both planktonic cells and biofilms. Licorice extract evidenced inhibitory potential against the nineteen tested Candida strains, but no pronounced effect was observed by testing the most abundant individual phenolic compounds. Candida tropicalis strains were the most sensible, followed by Candida glabrata, Candida parapsilosis and, then, Candida albicans. Lower MIC and MFC values were achieved to C. glabrata and C. tropicalis, which confirms its susceptibility to licorice extract; however, for C. tropicalis strains a higher variability was observed. Anti-biofilm potential was also achieved, being most evident in some C. glabrata and C. tropicalis strains. In general, a twice concentration of the MIC was necessary for planktonic cells to obtain a similar potential to that one observed for biofilms. Thus, an upcoming approach for new antifungal agents, more effective and safer than the current ones, is stablished; notwithstanding, further studies are necessary in order to understand its mechanism of action, as also to assess kinetic parameters., The authors are grateful to Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for N. Martins grant (SFRH/BD/87658/2012) and financial support to CIMO (strategic project PEstOE/AGR/UI0690/2014). This work was also supported by the Programa Operacional, Fatores de competitividade – COMPETE and by national funds through FCT on the scope of the projects FCT PTDC/SAU-MIC/119069/2010, RECI/EBB-EBI/0179/2012 and PEstOE/EQB/LA0023/2013. The authors thank the Project “BioHealth - Biotechnology and Bioengineering approaches to improve health quality”, Ref. NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000027, co-funded by thePrograma Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2 – O Novo Norte), QREN, FEDER.

Medicinal plants and their botanical formulations have gained a pivotal attention among scientific researchers mainly due to its action as health promoters. Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) constitutes a great example, with an increasingly evidenced antimicrobial potential. Opportunistic yeast infections constitute an alarming public health problem, highly exacerbated by the inefficacy of antifungal drugs and the increase of drug-resistant microorganisms, being Candida species one of the most common invaders. The present work aims to assess Candida glabrata and Candida albicans susceptibility to G. glabra methanol: water extract by using flow cytometry and transmission electron microscopy techniques. After 5 minutes, licorice extract (1.5 mg/mL) altered Candida membrane potential. Within an hour, it induced primary damages on Candida species cells, causing cell cytoplasm disorganization with high evidence of cell membrane invaginations, making cells turgid. Thus, based on the current findings, licorice extract seems to be a promising anti-Candida agent, without presenting any toxic potential at the effective concentrations used., The authors are grateful to Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for N. Martins grant (SFRH/BD/87658/2012) and financial support to the research centre CIMO (strategic project PEst-OE/ AGR/UI0690/2014). This work was also supported by the Programa Operacional, Fatores de competitividade – COMPETE and by national funds through FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia on the scope of the projects FCT PTDC/SAU-MIC/119069/2010, RECI/EBBEBI/0179/2012 and PEst-OE/EQB/LA0023/2013. The authors thank the Project “BioHealth – Biotechnology and Bioengineering approaches to improve health quality”, Ref. NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000027, cofunded by the Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2–O Novo Norte), QREN, FEDER., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Background: The chemopreventive effects of certain phytoconstituents can be exploited for their use as functional foods, dietary supplements and even as drugs. The natural compounds, acting as anti-genotoxic and free radical scavenging compounds, may serve as potent chemopreventive agents. These can inhibit DNA modulatory activities of mutagens and help preventing pathological processes. Objectives: Present study on Glycyrrhiza glabra L., a promising medicinal plant, widely used in traditional medicine, focused on the bioassay-guided fractionation of its extracts for the isolation of certain phytochemicals with anti-genotoxic potential against oxidative mutagens. Materials and Methods: The methanol extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra rhizomes was subjected to column chromatography, and isolated fraction was evaluated for its anti-genotoxic and antioxidant potential using SOS chromotest, Comet assay, and DPPH radical scavenging assay. Results: GLG fraction, which was characterized as Glycyrrhizic acid, inhibited the genotoxicity of oxidative mutagens viz., H 2 O 2 and 4NQOquite efficiently. In SOS chromotest, using E.coli PQ37 tester strain, it inhibited induction factor induced by H 2 O 2 and 4NQO by 75.54% and 71.69% at the concentration of 121.46 μM,respectively. In Comet assay, it reduced the tail moment induced by H 2 O 2 and 4NQO by 70.21% and 69.04%, respectively, at the same concentration in human blood lymphocytes. The isolated fraction also exhibited DPPH free radical scavenging activity and was able to scavenge 85.95% radicals at a concentration of 120 μM. Conclusion: Glycyrrhizic acid is a potential modulator of genotoxins as well as efficient scavenger of free radicals.

Three extracts of different polarities of Glycyrrhiza glabra L. leaves were characterized and evaluated for their antioxidant, anti-genotoxic and anti-inflammatory activity. In total, thirty components have been identified and quantified through the use of liquid chromatography (LC) with ultraviolet-visible diode-array-detector (UV-vis-DAD) and mass spectrometry (MS). The main components belong to the polyphenols family, being flavonoid and dihydrostilbene derivatives. The extracts have been investigated for their antioxidant, anti-genotoxic and anti-inflammatory activities, which are fundamental requirements of efficacious chemo-preventive agents. The ethyl acetate extract proved to be the most valuable, evidently for the conspicuous presence of several polyphenols, namely flavonoids and dihydrostilbenes.

Aloe vera contains lignin, folic acid, vitamin A, and 20 types of amino acids, while Glycyrrhiza glabra L. contains glycyrrhizin, steroids, and beta-glycyrrhetinic acid that benefit for hair health. This research aimed to produce hair tonic with the best activity from the combination of aloe vera and licorice extract. The phytochemicals in the aqueous extract of licorice and Aloe vera were screened. The hair tonic was then prepared with 3 formulas using 7.5% Aloe vera extract and 2.5% licorice extract, as well as 96% ethanol with varying percentages, namely 5, 10, and 15%. Afterward, the formulas were tested for their activity as hair fertilizer on 4 white male rabbits for 28 days. The evaluation of hair tonic preparation included organoleptic observation, pH, specific weight, viscosity, and hedonic tests. It measured hair growth rate, the acceleration of hair growth, and hair weight. The results showed that hair tonic containing a mixture of 7.5% of Aloe vera extract, 2.5% of licorice extract, and 96% ethanol with different percentages (i.e., 5, 10, and 15%) created a good hair fertilizer. Hair tonic prepared with 15% of 96% ethanol exhibited an optimum activity. It was characterized by brown color, distinctive odor, homogeneity, a specific weight of 1.0577 g/mL, a viscosity of 2.8479 cP to distilled water, and pH 5.5. Its effectiveness as hair fertilizer was evidenced by a hair growth rate of 2.6617 cm in 28 days, a hair growth acceleration of 0.1635 cm/day, and a hair weight of 0.1854 gram in 28 days.

The present work aims to characterize and quantify the phenolic composition and to evaluate the antioxidant activity of Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (commonly known as licorice) rhizomes and roots. The antioxidant potential of its methanol/water extract could be related with flavones (mainly apigenin derivatives), flavanones (mainly liquirintin derivatives), a methylated isoflavone and a chalcone, identified in the extract. Lipid peroxidation inhibition was the most pronounced antioxidant effect (EC50=0.24±0.01 µg/mL and 22.74±2.42 µg/mL in TBARS and -carotene/linoleate assays, respectively), followed by free radicals scavenging activity (EC50=111.54±6.04 µg/mL) and, finally, reducing power (EC50=128.63±0.21 µg/mL). In this sense, licorice extract could be used as a source of antioxidants for pharmaceutical, cosmetic and/or food industries., The authors are grateful to Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for N. Martins grant (SFRH/BD/87658/ 2012), L. Barros researcher contract under “Programa Compromisso com Ciência – 2008” and financial support to the research center CIMO (strategic project PEst-OE/AGR/UI0690/ 2011).

In the last two decades, an increasing incidence of opportunistic fungal infections has been observed, not only at hospital level but also in the community. Candida albicans was identified as the main responsible agent for those infections, but other non-Candida albicans Candida (NCAC) species have also been associated with this complicated medical condition [1]. Furthermore, higher rates of fungal resistance to the current drugs have been observed and are still growing, making the discovery of new active antifungal substances very urgent. Medicinal plants can be explored for that purpose. Glycyrrhiza glabra L. is commonly used in folk medicine due to its antimicrobial and antiviral activities, as well as for a wide variety of dermal affections [2]. Some reports have described the antimicrobial potential of licorice (G. glabra roots), namely aqueous extracts [e.g., 3]. Herein, the antifungal potential of the hydroalcoholic extract prepared from rhizomes and roots of G. glabra, was evaluated against 19 Candida strains, using the disc diffusion halo assay. The licorice extract was effective against all the tested C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. parapsilosis and C. tropicalis strains. It is very interesting to highlight the broad spectrum of activity of this extract, for which were observed similar results into different strains of the same species and even between different species. The results for the inhibitory zones, at the tested concentration (50 mg/mL), after 24h, were 1.0 – 1.2 cm for C. albicans and C. parapsilosis, 1.0 – 1.3 cm for C. tropicalis and 1.2 cm for C. glabrata, maintaining the potential at 48h and even at 72h. This study demonstrates that G. glabra hydroalcoholic extract probably exerts mainly fungicidal and not so much fungistatic effects, and it could find applications in antifungal therapy. Nevertheless, further studies will be performed in order to characterize the extract, namely on phenolic composition, and to elucidate its mechanism of action.

Submitted by Vitor Silverio Rodrigues (vitorsrodrigues@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2014-05-27T11:30:09Z No. of bitstreams: 0Bitstream added on 2014-05-27T14:37:53Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 2-s2.0-84882586629.pdf: 226525 bytes, checksum: 16cb02a7323c60f72d5df6a751f2895f (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2014-05-27T11:30:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2013-08-15 Background: With the emergence of strains resistant to conventional antibiotics, it is important to carry studies using alternative methods to control these microorganisms causing important infections, such as the use of products of plant origin that has demonstrated effective antimicrobial activity besides biocompatibility. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of plant extracts of Equisetum arvense L., Glycyrrhiza glabra L., Punica granatum L. and Stryphnodendron barbatimam Mart. against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus mutans, Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, and Candida glabrata, and to analyze the cytotoxicity of these extracts in cultured murine macrophages (RAW 264.7).Methods: Antimicrobial activity of plant extracts was evaluated by microdilution method based on Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI), M7-A6 and M27-A2 standards. The cytotoxicity of concentrations that eliminated the microorganisms was evaluated by MTT colorimetric method and by quantification of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and TNF-α) using ELISA.Results: In determining the minimum microbicidal concentration, E. arvense L., P. granatum L., and S. barbatimam Mart. extracts at a concentration of 50 mg/mL and G. glabra L. extract at a concentration of 100 mg/mL, were effective against all microorganisms tested. Regarding cell viability, values were 48% for E. arvense L., 76% for P. granatum L, 86% for S. barbatimam Mart. and 79% for G. glabra L. at the same concentrations. About cytokine production after stimulation with the most effective concentrations of the extracts, there was a significant increase of IL-1β in macrophage cultures treated with S. barbatimam Mart. (3.98 pg/mL) and P. granatum L. (7.72 pg/mL) compared to control (2.20 pg/mL) and a significant decrease of TNF-α was observed in cultures treated with G. glabra L. (4.92 pg/mL), S. barbatimam Mart. (0.85 pg/mL), E. arvense L. (0.83 pg/mL), and P. granatum L. (0.00 pg/mL) when compared to control (41.96 pg/mL).Conclusions: All plant extracts were effective against the microorganisms tested. The G. glabra L. extract exhibited least cytotoxicity and the E. arvense L. extract was the most cytotoxic. © 2013 de Oliveira et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. Department of Biosciences and Oral Diagnosis, Laboratory of Microbiology and Immunology Institute of Science and Technology Univ Estadual Paulista/UNESP, Av. Engenheiro Francisco Jose Longo 777 - Jardim Sao Dimas, São José dos Campos, SP Department of Biosciences and Oral Diagnosis, Laboratory of Biochemistry and Pharmacology Institute of Science and Technology Univ Estadual Paulista/UNESP, São José dos Campos, SP Department of Restorative Dentistry Institute of Science and Technology Univ Estadual Paulista/UNESP, São José dos Campos, SP Department of Biosciences and Oral Diagnosis, Laboratory of Microbiology and Immunology Institute of Science and Technology Univ Estadual Paulista/UNESP, Av. Engenheiro Francisco Jose Longo 777 - Jardim Sao Dimas, São José dos Campos, SP Department of Biosciences and Oral Diagnosis, Laboratory of Biochemistry and Pharmacology Institute of Science and Technology Univ Estadual Paulista/UNESP, São José dos Campos, SP Department of Restorative Dentistry Institute of Science and Technology Univ Estadual Paulista/UNESP, São José dos Campos, SP

Background Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder of epidemic proportion, projected to become the major cause of morbidity and mortality in the world in future. Despite extensive research in understanding this disease at molecular level, and the discovery of new drugs, diabetes and its complications remain largely untreated. Many of the late diabetic complications are associated with the glycation of proteins in the body. Natural flora has long been a rich source for therapeutic agents, especially against diabetes. The present study deals with the anti-glycation properties of some medicinally important plants of Arabian region. Methods Twenty-six medicinal plants, commonly found in different regions of Arabian Peninsula, were evaluated for their protein anti-glycation activity by using BSA-MG glycation assay in-vitro. The extracts were incubated with BSA and MG at 37 °C for 9 days, each sample was then examined for the presence of fluorescence (λex 330 nm, and λem 420 nm), which represent the extent of protein glycation. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by using 1,1-diphenyl- 2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), iron chelation, and superoxide radical scavenging asaays. Results The data revealed that out of 26 medicinal plants, five plants viz. Sida cordifolia, Plumbago zeylanica, Tribulus terrestris, Glycyrrhiza glabra, and Rosa indica were active against the in-vitro protein glycation with IC50 values between 0.408- 1.690 mg/mL. Among the active plants, Glycyrrhiza glabra L. was found to be the most potent (IC50 = 0.408 ± 0.027 mg/mL), followed by Rosa indica (IC50 = 0.596 ± 0.0179 mg/mL), and Sida cordifolia L. (IC50 = 0.63 ± 0.009 mg/mL). The antioxidant potential of these plant extracts were also determined by using DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), iron chelation, and superoxide anion radical scavenging assays. Among five plants, Sida cordifolia exhibited a potent anti-oxidant activity in both DPPH and superoxide anion radical scavenging assays (IC50 = 0.005 ± 0.0004, and 0.078 ± 0.002 mg/mL, respectively), followed by Rosa indica (IC50 = 0.023 ± 0.0005 and 0.141 ± 0.003 mg/mL, respectively). Conclusions Protein glycation in hyperglycemic conditions involve oxidative changes. Therefore dual inhibition of protein glycation and oxidation are desirable properties in any test substance investigated for therapeutic purposes.