Liquiritigenin is a

flavanone The flavanones, a type of flavonoids, are various aromatic, colorless ketones derived from flavone that often occur in plants as glycosides. List of flavanones * Blumeatin * Butin * Eriodictyol * Hesperetin * Hesperidin * Homoeriodictyol * Iso ...

that was isolated from ''

Glycyrrhiza uralensis ''Glycyrrhiza uralensis'', also known as Chinese liquorice, is a flowering plant native to Asia. It is used as a sweetener and in traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional uses Liquorice root, or 'radix glycyrrhizae', is one of the 50 fundam ...

'', and is found in a variety of plants, including ''

Glycyrrhiza glabra Liquorice (British English) or licorice (American English) ( ; also ) is the common name of ''Glycyrrhiza glabra'', a flowering plant of the bean family Fabaceae, from the root of which a sweet, aromatic flavouring can be extracted. The liqu ...

'' (licorice). It is an

estrogenic Estrogen or oestrogen is a category of sex hormone responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. There are three major endogenous estrogens that have estrogenic hormonal activ ...

compound which acts as a selective

agonist An agonist is a chemical that activates a receptor to produce a biological response. Receptors are cellular proteins whose activation causes the cell to modify what it is currently doing. In contrast, an antagonist blocks the action of the ago ...

of the

ERβ Estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) also known as NR3A2 (nuclear receptor subfamily 3, group A, member 2) is one of two main types of estrogen receptor—a nuclear receptor which is activated by the sex hormone estrogen. In humans ERβ is encoded by ...

subtype of the

estrogen receptor Estrogen receptors (ERs) are a group of proteins found inside cells. They are receptors that are activated by the hormone estrogen ( 17β-estradiol). Two classes of ER exist: nuclear estrogen receptors (ERα and ERβ), which are members of the ...

(ER), though it is also reported to act as an

ERα Estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), also known as NR3A1 (nuclear receptor subfamily 3, group A, member 1), is one of two main types of estrogen receptor, a nuclear receptor (mainly found as a chromatin-binding protein) that is activated by the sex ...

partial agonist In pharmacology, partial agonists are drugs that bind to and activate a given receptor, but have only partial efficacy at the receptor relative to a full agonist. They may also be considered ligands which display both agonistic and antagonistic e ...

at sufficient concentrations. It also has a

choleretic Choleretics are substances that increase the volume of secretion of bile from the liver as well as the amount of solids secreted. See also * Cholekinetic * Hydrocholeretic Hydrocholeretics are substances that increase the volume of secretion of bi ...

effect. Liquiritigenin,NADPH:oxygen oxidoreductase (hydroxylating, aryl migration) is an

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products. A ...

that uses liquiritigenin, O₂, NADPH and H⁺ to produce 2,7,4'-trihydroxyisoflavanone, H₂O, and NADP⁺.

References

Aromatase inhibitors Phytoestrogens Flavanones Selective ERβ agonists {{aromatic-stub