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Identification of licocoumarone as an apoptosis-inducing component in licorice
Makoto Watanabe1, Sumio Hayakawa, Mamoru Isemura
1School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Shizuoka, Japan.
Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin
|October 24, 2002
Abstract:
The 70% methanol soluble fraction from a licorice acetone extract was found to inhibit cell proliferation in human monoblastic leukemia U937 cells by inducing apoptosis. Separation by the methods including preparative HPLC provided us with an active compound, which was identified as licocoumarone. Several lines of evidence indicated that licocoumarone induced apoptosis in U937 cells. Thus, licocoumarone is suggested to be potentially useful as a natural anti-cancer agent.