Browse > Article
http://dx.doi.org/10.4014/kjmb.1410.10002

Antimicrobial Activity, Quantification and Bactericidal Activities of Licorice Active Ingredients  

Kim, Hye Jin (Department of Fine Chemistry, Nanobiocosmetic Laboratory, and Cosmetic R&D Center, Seoul National University of Science and Technology)
Jang, Ha Na (Department of Fine Chemistry, Nanobiocosmetic Laboratory, and Cosmetic R&D Center, Seoul National University of Science and Technology)
Bae, Jeong Yun (Department of Fine Chemistry, Nanobiocosmetic Laboratory, and Cosmetic R&D Center, Seoul National University of Science and Technology)
Ha, Ji Hoon (Department of Fine Chemistry, Nanobiocosmetic Laboratory, and Cosmetic R&D Center, Seoul National University of Science and Technology)
Park, Soo Nam (Department of Fine Chemistry, Nanobiocosmetic Laboratory, and Cosmetic R&D Center, Seoul National University of Science and Technology)
Publication Information
Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters / v.42, no.4, 2014 , pp. 386-392 More about this Journal
Abstract
The present study was aimed at investigating the antimicrobial activities of licorice's active ingredients. Four samples of licorice ingredients (glycyrrhizin, liquiritin, liquiritigenin, and isoliquiritigenin) were evaluated for their antimicrobial activities against six skin microorganisms. The bioassay applied for determining the antimicrobial effects employed a disc diffusion assay, the minimum inhibitory concentration, and the challenge test. The ingredients showed antibacterial activities. Especially, isoliquiritigenin has significant antimicrobial activities against two Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis, Propionobacterium acnes) and two Gramnegative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacteria. These samples had much higher antimicrobial activities than synthetic preservatives. Our results reveal that liquiritigenin and isoliquiritigenin could be useful compounds for the development of antibacterial agents for the preservation of cosmetics and foods. The two flavonoids, liquiritigenin and isoliquiritigenin, sourced from Korea, China, Uzbekistan, were quantified using HPLC. The results demonstrated that Korean licorice has two flavonoids (liquiritigenin, isoliquiritigenin) in much higher quantities than was observed in the licorice obtained from the two other countries. Thus, isoliquiritigenin and Korean licorice extract represent new candidates for antimicrobial agents.
Keywords
Glycyrrhiza uralensis; Glycyrrhiza glabra; antimicrobial activity; natural preservatives;
Citations & Related Records
Times Cited By KSCI : 1  (Citation Analysis)
연도 인용수 순위
1 Nishihara T, Nishikawa J, Kanayama T, Dakeyama F, Saito K, Imagawa M, et al. 2000. Estrogenic activities of 517 chemicals by yeast two-hybrid assay. J. Health. Sci. 46: 282-298.   DOI   ScienceOn
2 Okubo T, Yokoyama Y, Kano K, Kano I. 2001. ER-dependent estrogenic activity of parabens assessed by proliferation of human breast cancer MCF-7 cells and expression of ER$\alpha$ and ER$\beta$ and PR. Food. Chem. Toxicol. 39: 1225-1232.   DOI   ScienceOn
3 Vowels BR, Yang S, Leyden JJ. 1995. Induction of proinflammatory cytokines by a soluble factor of Propionibacterium acnes: implications for chronic inflammatory acne. Infect. Immun. 63: 3158-3165.
4 Rastogi SC, Schouten A, de Kruijf N, Weijland JW. 1995. Contents of methyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, butyl- and benzylparaben in cosmetic products. Contact. Dermatitis. 32: 28-30.   DOI   ScienceOn
5 Routledge, Parker J, Odum J, Ashby J, Sumpter JP. 1998. Some alkyl hydroxy benzoate preservatives (Parabens) are estrogenic. Toxicol. Appl. Pharm. 153: 12-19.   DOI   ScienceOn
6 Darbre PD, Aljarrah A, Miller WR, Coldham NG, Sauer MJ, Pope GS. 2004. Concentrations of parabens in human breast tumours. J. Appl. Toxicol. 24: 5-13.   DOI   ScienceOn
7 Farrinton JK, Martz EL, Wells SJ, Ennis CC, Holder J, Levchuk JW, et al. 1994. Ability of laboratory methods to predict in-use efficacy of antimicrobial preservatives in an experimental cosmetic. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 60: 4553-4558.
8 Gerald PB, Ricardo B, Victor F, Leena J. 1983. Infections Caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Clin. Infect Dis. 5: 279-313.   DOI
9 Giacometti A, Cirioni O, Del Prete MS, Barchiesi F, Paggi MA, Petrelli E, et al. 2000. Comparative activities of polycationic peptides and clinically used antimicrobial agents against multidrug- resistant nosocomial isolates of Acinetobater baumannii. J. Antimicrob. Chemother. 46: 807-810.   DOI
10 Kim HJ, Bae JY, Jang HN, Park SN. 2013. Comparative study on antimicrobial activity of Glycyrrhiza uralensis and Glycyrrhiza glabra extracts in various country of origin as natural antiseptics. Koreean J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 41: 358-366.   DOI   ScienceOn
11 Andersen. 1995. Final report on the safety assessment of isobutylparaben and isopropylparaben. J. Am. Coll. Toxicol. 14: 364-372.   DOI
12 Graham GM, Farrar MD, Cruse-sawyer JE, Holland KT, Ingham E. 2004. Proinflammatory cyrokine production by human keratinocytes stimulated with Propionibacterium acnes and P. acnes GroEL. Pediatr. Brit. J. Dermatol. 150: 421-428.   DOI   ScienceOn