Broad Antiviral Spectrum of Glycyrrhizic Acid for Human and Veterinary Medicine: Reality or Fiction?

BACKGROUND: Emerging virus infections provoke health problems in people and animals, which generate social and economic issues worldwide. This has spurred the search for new pharmacological strategies to confront them. SUMMARY: The purpose of this review is to draw the reader's attention to pharmacological evaluations of glycyrrhizic acid (GA) and its analogs on the broad range of viruses known in human and veterinary medicine. GA is the main water-soluble constituent extracted from the roots of plants from the genus Glycyrrhiza, commonly known as licorice root. It has long been used due to its broad spectrum of bioactivities, including anti-inflammatory, antiulcer, and antitumor properties. It has also been proposed as an antiviral agent. Medicines derived from GA are currently being used to combat acute and chronic hepatitis and herpes viruses. KEY MESSAGES: This review suggests that GA could be a new broad-spectrum antiviral due to its ability to inhibit DNA or RNA viruses both in vitro and in vivo. GA could be a potential drug for preventing and/or treating various viral diseases.