Novosibirsk scientists obtained a compound from licorice root extract for the treatment of acute severe respiratory failure, including those caused by SARS-CoV-2. This was reported to socialbites.ca by the press service of the Institute of Chemical Biology and Basic Medicine (ICBFM) of the SB RAS.
Employees of ICBFM SB RAS together with the Novosibirsk Institute of Organic Chemistry named after NN Vorozhtsov synthesized a series of compounds based on glycyretic acid isolated from licorice root.
The resulting molecules were tested in mice with a model of acute lung injury that mimics acute respiratory distress syndrome in humans during coronavirus infection. As a result, a compound was chosen – super licorice root, which effectively suppresses the development of pathological changes in lung tissues during inflammation.
“It effectively blocked the cytokine storm in mice, triggered an antioxidant response in lung cells and protected them from inflammation-induced death, and significantly suppressed thrombin activity, which plays a key role in the development of COVID-related hypercoagulation (increased blood clotting)-19.” Andrey Markov, senior researcher at ICBFM SB RAS’s Nucleic Acid Biochemistry Laboratory, told socialbites.ca.
At the doses studied, superlicorice did not cause toxic effects in animals. It may be the basis for the development of new drugs that protect human lung tissue from damage against the background of uncontrolled systemic inflammation in COVID-19. The structure of Supersodoka is similar to bardoxolone methyl, which has successfully passed the second phase of clinical trials on patients with COVID-19 in the United States.
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