Glycyrrhizic acid: A promising carrier material for anticancer therapy

Drug delivery systems have become an integral part of anticancer drugs today. Design of novel drug carriers may lead to significant enhancement in antineoplastic therapy. Glycyrrhizic acid (GL), which is the most important active ingredient extracted from the licorice root shows great potential as a carrier material in this field. Recent studies have indicated that the combination of GL and first-line drugs had better therapeutic effects on cancers. GL showed a series of anti-cancer-related pharmacological activities, such as broad-spectrum anti-cancer ability, resistance to the tissue toxicity caused by chemotherapy and radiation, drug absorption enhancing effects and anti-multidrug resistance (MDR) mechanisms, as a carrier material in drug delivery systems. This review introduced the current research progress on pharmacological mechanisms of GL and development of GL-based drug carriers in anti-cancer field to provide basis for the application prospects of GL. The design of novel GL-based drug delivery systems will bring new opportunities and challenges to anti-cancer therapy.