Eight compounds were isolated from the roots of Glycyrrhiza uralensis and tested for cholinesterase (ChE) and monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitory activities. Glycyrol (GC) effectively inhibited butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) with IC50 values of 7.22 and 14.77 µM, respectively, and also moderately inhibited MAO-B (29.48 µM). Six of the other seven compounds only weakly inhibited AChE and BChE, whereas liquiritin apioside moderately inhibited AChE (IC50 = 36.68 µM). Liquiritigenin (LG) potently inhibited MAO-B (IC50 = 0.098 µM) and MAO-A (IC50 = 0.27 µM), and liquiritin, a glycoside of LG, weakly inhibited MAO-B (> 40 µM). GC was a reversible, noncompetitive inhibitor of BChE with a Ki value of 4.47 µM, and LG was a reversible competitive inhibitor of MAO-B with a Ki value of 0.024 µM. Docking simulations showed that the binding affinity of GC for BChE (-7.8 kcal/mol) was greater than its affinity for AChE (-7.1 kcal/mol), and suggested that GC interacted with BChE at Thr284 and Val288 by hydrogen bonds (distances: 2.42 and 1.92 Å, respectively) beyond the ligand binding site of BChE, but that GC did not form hydrogen bond with AChE. The binding affinity of LG for MAO-B (-8.8 kcal/mol) was greater than its affinity for MAO-A (-7.9 kcal/mol). These findings suggest GC and LG should be considered promising compounds for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease with multi-targeting activities.

Skeletal muscle is a specialized tissue consisting of nondividing and multinucleated muscle fibers. Skeletal muscle-specific myostatin (MSTN) is a secreted protein that acts as a negative regulator of muscle mass by inhibiting proliferation and differentiation of myoblasts. In this study, we established a screening platform to monitor myostatin promoter activity in rat L8 myoblasts. Extract of Glycyrrhiza uralensis (GUE), an oriental herbal medicine, was identified through this screening platform and, the active fractions of GUE were identified by process-scale liquid column chromatography system. For in vivo study, the GUE as a feed additive was investigated in growth-finishing pigs. The results showed that GUE significantly increased body weight, carcass weight and lean content in pigs. Microbiota analysis indicated that GUE did not affect the composition of gut microbiota in pigs. In summary, this established rodent myoblast screening platform was used to identify a myogenesis-related phytogenic, GUE, and further demonstrated that the active fractions inhibited MSTN expression. These finding suggest a novel application for GUE in growth performance enhancement through modulation of MSTN expression. Furthermore, this established screening platform has great potential for identification and evaluation of a wide variety of phytogenics involving in myogenesis.

Periodontitis is a disease that originates from gingival tissue, and if left untreated, can cause inflammation to spread to deeper tissues, altering bone homeostasis, and even leading to tooth loss. When the bacteria in plaque reach sufficient numbers, the immune system responds by activating immune cells that will produce cytokines, including interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). These immune signaling molecules will coordinate the inflammatory responses. IL-1 binds to the IL-1 receptor (IL-1R) on the surface of target cells, initiating an inflammatory response by activating intracellular signalling pathways. Inhibition of IL-1R can prevent the interaction of IL-1 with this receptor, thereby halting the activation of the inflammatory pathway. By substituting this connection with active anti-inflammatory substances, it is possible to prevent the contact between IL-1 and IL-1R. The licorice plant, Glycyrrhiza glabra, includes eight types of flavonoids with significant anti-inflammatory potential, namely isoliquiritigenin, glyzaglabrin, prunetin, shinpterocarpin, licochalcone A, glabridin, glisoflavone, and isoangustone A. This study aims to assess the potential of such flavonoids as candidates for periodontitis treatment through molecular docking, using AutoDock Tools v.1.5.6. All tested compounds showed highly stable bonds to IL-1R, with a binding affinity values below -7 kcal/mol. Van der Waals forces, hydrogen bonds, and hydrophobic bonds all contribute to the stability of these interactions. Among the eight tested compounds, glisoflavone, which has a Ki value of 90.89 nM and a ΔG value of -9.61 kcal/mol, has the highest binding stability to IL-1R.