Inhibition of Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Activity by Components of Glycyrrhiza uralensis

Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is a target enzyme for the treatment of inflammation and cardiovascular disease. A Glycyrrhiza uralensis extract exhibited ~50% inhibition of sEH at 100 μg/mL, and column chromatography yielded compounds 1–11. Inhibitors 1, 4–6, 9, and 11 were non-competitive; inhibitors 3, 7, 8, and 10 were competitive. The IC(50) value of inhibitor 10 was below 2 μM. Molecular simulation was used to identify the sEH binding site. Glycycoumarin (10) requires further evaluation in cells and animals.