RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Effects of Glycyrrhizin on UVB-irradiated Melanoma Cells JF In Vivo JO In Vivo FD International Institute of Anticancer Research SP 319 OP 322 VO 19 IS 1 A1 TIZIANA ROSSI A1 LUISA BENASSI A1 CRISTINA MAGNONI A1 ANTONIO IPPAZIO RUBERTO A1 ANDREA COPPI A1 GIOSUÉ BAGGIO YR 2005 UL http://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/19/1/319.abstract AB It is known that liquorice root is rich in compounds which exert several pharmacological actions. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of glycyrrhizin (the main constituent of liquorice root) and of its metabolite aglycone, 18ß-glycyrrhetinic acid, on UVB-irradiated human melanoma cells: SKMEL-2 from metastatic tissue and SKMEL-28 from primary malignant melanoma. Tests performed (Trypan blue exclusion test, MTT and Western blot) showed that glycyrrhizin is not toxic for both types of cells. In SKMEL-28 cells, Bcl-2 expression was low after UVB irradiation, but it was increased when treated with glycyrrhizin. On the contrary, in the SKMEL-2 cell culture, Bcl-2 expression was not modified by the substances under study. The results show that glycyrrhizin treatment might offer protection from the damage induced in humans by UVB radiation, while it seems to be ineffective on metastatic cells. Further studies must be performed to understand the mechanism of the protective effect. Copyright © 2005 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved