Isoliquiritigenin is a

phenol Phenol (also called carbolic acid) is an aromatic organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a white crystalline solid that is volatile. The molecule consists of a phenyl group () bonded to a hydroxy group (). Mildly acidic, it req ...

ic chemical compound found in

licorice 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 liq ...

Metabolism

The enzyme

6'-deoxychalcone synthase In enzymology, a 6'-deoxychalcone synthase () is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction :3 malonyl-CoA + 4-coumaroyl-CoA + NADPH + H+ \rightleftharpoons 4 CoA + isoliquiritigenin + 3 CO2 + NADP+ + H2O The 4 substrates of this enzyme are ...

uses

malonyl-CoA Malonyl-CoA is a coenzyme A derivative of malonic acid. Functions It plays a key role in chain elongation in fatty acid biosynthesis and polyketide biosynthesis. Fatty acid biosynthesis Malonyl-CoA provides 2-carbon units to fatty acids and commi ...

4-coumaroyl-CoA Coumaroyl-coenzyme A is the thioester of coenzyme-A and coumaric acid. Coumaroyl-coenzyme A is a central intermediate in the biosynthesis of myriad natural products found in plants. These products include Monolignol, lignols (precursors to lignin ...

NADPH Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, abbreviated NADP or, in older notation, TPN (triphosphopyridine nucleotide), is a cofactor used in anabolic reactions, such as the Calvin cycle and lipid and nucleic acid syntheses, which require NAD ...

, and H⁺ to produce CoA, isoliquiritigenin, CO₂, NADP⁺, and H₂O. The enzyme

isoliquiritigenin 2'-O-methyltransferase In enzymology, an isoliquiritigenin 2'-O-methyltransferase () is an enzyme that catalysis, catalyzes the chemical reaction :S-adenosyl-L-methionine + isoliquiritigenin \rightleftharpoons S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine + 2'-O-methylisoliquiritigenin Th ...

further transforms isoliquiritigenin into 2'-O-methylisoliquiritigenin.

Mechanism of action

Isoliquiritigenin has been found to be a potent (65 times higher

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than diazepam)

GABA-A The GABAA receptor (GABAAR) is an ionotropic receptor and ligand-gated ion channel. Its endogenous ligand is γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Upon opening, the GABAA receptor o ...

benzodiapine receptor

positive allosteric modulator In pharmacology and biochemistry, allosteric modulators are a group of substances that bind to a receptor to change that receptor's response to stimulus. Some of them, like benzodiazepines, are drugs. The site that an allosteric modulator binds to ...

. It can target miR-301b/LRIG1 signaling pathways, resulting in the inhibition of

melanoma Melanoma, also redundantly known as malignant melanoma, is a type of skin cancer that develops from the pigment-producing cells known as melanocytes. Melanomas typically occur in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye ( ...

growth ''

in vitro ''In vitro'' (meaning in glass, or ''in the glass'') studies are performed with microorganisms, cells, or biological molecules outside their normal biological context. Colloquially called "test-tube experiments", these studies in biology an ...

''.

References

{{chalconoid Chalconoids category:Phenols