Glabridin is the main ingredient in licorice extract. Licorice, the root of the glycyrrhiza plant species, which contains glabridin has been used medicinally for more than 4000 years. The genus glycyrrhiza consists of approximately 30 species, in which six species produce a sweet saponin glycyrrhizic acid (GA), and they are widely used in Asia countries. These medicinal plants were used as flavorings, sweeteners and as herbal medicine, and they were also used for improving health, detoxification and cures for injury. Glabridin is an isoflavane, a type of isoflavonoid. This product is part of a larger family of plant-derived molecules, the natural phenols. Glabridin has been reported to exhibit multiple pharmacological activities, such as cytotoxic activity, antimicrobial activity, estrogenic and anti-proliferative activity against human breast cancer cells. It also affects melanogenesis, inflammation, low-density lipoprotein oxidation and protection of mitochondrial functions from oxidative stresses. The authors investigated glabridin for its inhibitory effect on pigmentation and reported that glabridin inhibited tyrosinase activity of melanocytes without cytotoxicity. They further showed that UV-B–induced pigmentation and erythema were inhibited by topical application of 0.5% glabridin. The anti-inflammatory properties of glabridin were attributed to inhibition of superoxide anion production and cyclooxygenase activity.
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