Glycyrrhetinic Acid Reverses the Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Hypocontractility to Noradrenaline in Rat Aorta: Implications to Septic Shock

• Published in: Journal of Pharmacological Sciences Vol. 125; no. 4; pp. 422 - 425
• Main Authors: Muller, Bernard, Aparin, Petr G., Stoclet, Jean-Claude, Kleschyov, Andrei L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: Japan Elsevier B.V 2014; The Japanese Pharmacological Society; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Aorta - drug effects; Enzyme Inhibitors; glycyrrhetinic acid; Glycyrrhetinic Acid - isolation & purification; Glycyrrhetinic Acid - pharmacology; Glycyrrhetinic Acid - therapeutic use; Glycyrrhiza - chemistry; lipopolysaccharide; Lipopolysaccharides - adverse effects; Male; Nitric Oxide Synthase - antagonists & inhibitors; Norepinephrine - antagonists & inhibitors; Norepinephrine - pharmacology; Phytotherapy; Rats, Wistar; septic shock; Shock, Septic - drug therapy; Shock, Septic - etiology; Vasoconstriction - drug effects; lipopolysaccharide; septic shock; glycyrrhetinic acid
• ISSN: 1347-8613; 1347-8648
• DOI: 10.1254/jphs.14126SC

Septic shock and associated vascular hyporeactivity to vasoconstrictor agonists remain a major problem of critical care medicine. Here we report that glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), the active component of licorice, effectively restores vascular contractility in the model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated rat aorta. GA was as effective as the NO synthase inhibitor NG-nitroarginine methylester. GA did not affect the vascular NO levels (measured by EPR spin trapping) and relaxations to l-arginine in LPS-treated rings as well as relaxation to S-nitroso-Nacetylpenicillamine in control rings. Thus, GA may represent an interesting alternative to NO synthase inhibitors in sepsis-associated vascular dysfunction.