Volume 42 Issue 12, December 2021
Schematic overview of pharmacokinetics-based identification of pseudoaldosterogenic compounds glycyrrhetic acid (8) and 24-hydroxyglycyrrhetic acid (M2D). The Gancao constituents glycyrrhizin (1) and licorice saponin G2 (2) are metabolically activated by glucuronidase of the colonic microbiota to the pseudoaldosterogenic metabolites 8 and M2D, respectively, which can access (via passive tubular reabsorption) and inhibit renal 11β-HSD2. The finding has implications for precisely defining conditions for safe use of the Gancao-containing herbal medicine.
