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. 2005 Aug 19;95(5):448–453. doi: 10.1111/j.1349-7006.2004.tb03230.x

Isoliquiritigenin, a flavonoid from licorice, reduces prostaglandin E2 and nitric oxide, causes apoptosis, and suppresses aberrant crypt foci development

Tetsuyuki Takahashi 1, Nobuo Takasuka 2, Masaaki Iigo 2, Masaki Baba 1, Hoyoku Nishino 3, Hiroyuki Tsuda 2, Toru Okuyama 1,✉
PMCID: PMC11158064  PMID: 15132774

Abstract

Isoliquiritigenin (ILTG), a flavonoid group compound, exists in some foodstuffs and herbal medicines such as licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisher). Previously, we showed that ILTG can suppress azoxymethane (AOM)‐induced colon carcinogenesis in ddY mice. In the present report, we present evidence that ILTG markedly decreases both prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW264.7 mouse macrophage cells. The decrease of PGE2 was dependent on cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) expression and the decrease of NO appeared due to a decrease in inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein expression. In mouse and human colon carcinoma cells, ILTG treatment suppressed cell growth and caused apoptosis. Furthermore, in vivo administration of ILTG inhibited the induction of preneoplastic aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in the male F344 rat colon. Our results suggest that ILTG is a promising chemopreventive agent against colon carcinogenesis.

Abbreviations:

AC

aberrant crypts

ACF

aberrant crypt foci

AOM

azoxymethane

BSA

bovine serum albumin

COX

cyclooxygenase

FBS

fetal bovine serum

5‐FU

5‐fluorouracil

G3PDH

glyceraldehyde 3‐phosphate dehydrogenase

ILTG

isoliquiritigenin

iNOS

inducible nitric oxide synthase

LPS

lipopolysaccharide

MMLV‐RT

Moloney murine leukemia virus‐reverse transcriptase

MTT

3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide

NO

nitric oxide

PGE2

prostaglandin E2

RT‐PCR

reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction

SD

standard deviation

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