Pharmacological perspective: glycyrrhizin may be an efficacious therapeutic agent for COVID-19

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the previously unknown pathogen, severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is now a global pandemic. There are no vaccines or specific treatments against this new virus; therefore, there is an urgent need to advance novel therapeutic interventions for COVID-19. Glycyrrhizin is a triterpene saponin with various biological functions and pharmacological effects. This brief article discusses the therapeutic potential of glycyrrhizin for the treatment of COVID-19 from the perspective of its pharmacological action, including binding angiotensinconverting enzyme II (ACE2), downregulating proinflammatory cytokines, inhibiting the accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), inhibiting thrombin, inhibiting the hyperproduction of airway exudates, and inducing endogenous interferon.