Liquorice in moderate doses does not affect sex steroid hormones of biological importance although the effect differs between the genders

Hormone Research

Volumn 65, Issue 2, 2006, Pages 106-110

  Sigurjonsdottir, Helga Agusta ^a   Axelson, Magnus ^b   Johannsson, Gudmundur ^a   Manhem, Karin ^a   Nyström, Ernst ^a   Wallerstedt, Sven ^a  

^a SAHLGRENSKA UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL   (Sweden)

^b KAROLINSKA UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL   (Sweden)

Author keywords

11 hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase; Androgen hormones; Glycyrrhetinic acid; Liquorice; Sex steroid hormones

Indexed keywords

ANDROGEN; ANDROSTENEDIONE; ETIOCHOLANOLONE; GLYCYRRHIZA EXTRACT; HYDROCORTISONE; PRASTERONE SULFATE; SEX HORMONE; TESTOSTERONE;

ADULT; ARTICLE; BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY; BLOOD SAMPLING; CLINICAL ARTICLE; CLINICAL TRIAL; CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL; CONTROLLED STUDY; DOSE RESPONSE; FEMALE; GENDER; HORMONE DETERMINATION; HUMAN; MALE; PRIORITY JOURNAL; PROTEIN METABOLISM; SEX DIFFERENCE; TESTOSTERONE BLOOD LEVEL; URINALYSIS; URINARY EXCRETION;

11-BETA-HYDROXYSTEROID DEHYDROGENASE TYPE 2; ADRENAL CORTEX; ADULT; ANDROGENS; FEMALE; GLYCYRRHIZA; GONADAL STEROID HORMONES; GONADOTROPINS, PITUITARY; HUMANS; MALE;

EID: 33344464557     PISSN: 03010163     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1159/000091302     Document Type: Article

References (28)

1. Stewart PM, Wallace AM, Valentino R, Burt D, Shackleton CH, Edwards CR: Mineralocorticoid activity of liquorice: 11-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency comes of age. Lancet 1987;2:821-824.
2. Farese RV Jr, Biglieri EG, Shackleton CH, Irony I, Gomez-Fontes R: Licorice-induced hypermineralocorticoidism. N Engl J Med 1991; 325:1223-1227.
3. Davis EA, Morris DJ: Medicinal uses of licorice through the millennia: the good and plenty of it. Mol Cell Endocrinol 1991;78:1-6.
4. Liquorice; in: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2002.
5. mafco: The World Leader In Licorice Products. Camden, MacAndrews & Forbes Company, 1994.
6. Walker BR, Edwards CR: Licorice-induced hypertension and syndromes of apparent mineralocorticoid excess. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am 1994;23:359-377.
7. Sigurjonsdottir HA, Ragnarsson J, Franzson L, Sigurdsson G: Is blood pressure commonly raised by moderate consumption of liquorice? J Hum Hypertens 1995;9:345-348.
8. Milford DV, Shackleton CH, Stewart PM: Mineralocorticoid hypertension and congenital deficiency of 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in a family with the syndrome of 'apparent' mineralocorticoid excess. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 1995;43:241-246.
9. Ulick S, Levine LS, Gunczler P, Zanconato G, Ramirez LC, Rauh W, Rösler A, Bradlow HL, New MI: A syndrome of apparent mineralocorticoid excess associated with defects in the peripheral metabolism of cortisol. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1979;49:757-764.
10. Funder JW: Mineralocorticoids, glucocorticoids, receptors and response elements. Science 1993;259:1132-1133.
11. Armanini D, Bonanni G, Palermo M: Reduction of serum testosterone in men by licorice. N Engl J Med 1999;341:1158.
12. Sakamoto K, Wakabayashi K: Inhibitory effect of glycyrrhetinic acid on testosterone production in rat gonads. Endocrinol Jpn 1988;35: 333-342.
13. Armanini D, Bonanni G, Mattarello MJ, Fiore C, Sartorato P, Palermo M: Licorice consumption and serum testosterone in healthy man. Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 2003;111:341-343.
14. Armanini D, Mattarello MJ, Fiore C, Bonanni G, Scaroni C, Sartorato P, Palermo M: Licorice reduces serum testosterone in healthy women. Steroids 2004;69:763-766.
15. Akao T, Akao T, Aoyama M, Kobashi K: Metabolism of glycyrrhetic acid by rat liver microsomes. III. Male-specific glycyrrhetinate dehydrogenase. Biochem Pharmacol 1991;42: 103-107.
16. Akao T, Akao T, Hattori M, Namba T, Kobashi K: Inhibitory effects of glycyrrhetic acid and its related compounds on 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase of rat liver cytosol. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo) 1992;40:1208-1210.
17. Latif SA, Conca TJ, Morris DJ: The effects of the licorice derivative, glycyrrhetinic acid, on hepatic 3 alpha- and 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases and 5 alpha- and 5 beta-reductase pathways of metabolism of aldosterone in male rats. Steroids 1990;55:52-58.
18. Sigurjonsdottir HA, Franzson L, Manhem K, Ragnarsson J, Sigurdsson G, Wallerstedt S: Liquorice-induced rise in blood pressure: a linear dose-response relationship. J Hum Hypertens 2001;15:549-552.
19. Sigurjonsdottir HA, Manhem K, Axelson M, Wallerstedt S: Subjects with essential hypertension are more sensitive to the inhibition of 11 beta-HSD by liquorice. J Hum Hypertens 2003;17:125-131.
20. Axelson M, Sahlberg BL, Sjövall J: Analysis of profiles of conjugated steroids in urine by ion-exchange separation and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. J Chromatogr 1981;224: 355-370.
21. Bradley JW: Distribution-Free Statistical Tests. London, Prentice-Hall, 1968.
22. Odén A, Wedel H: Arguments for Fisher's permutation test. Ann Stat 1975;3:518-520.
23. Josephs RA, Guinn JS, Harper ML, Askari F: Liquorice consumption and salivary testosterone concentrations. Lancet 2001;358:1613-1614.
24. Labrie F, Luu-The V, Lin SX, Simard J, Labrie C: Role of 17 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases in sex steroid formation in peripheral intracrine tissues. Trends Endocrinol Metab 2000;11:421-427.
25. Albiston AL, Smith RE, Obeyesekere VR, Krozowski ZS: Cloning of the 11 beta HSD type II enzyme from human kidney. Endocr Res 1995; 21:399-409.
26. Maurer M, Trajanoski Z, Frey G, Hiroi N, Galon J, Willenberg HS, Gold PW, Chrousos GP, Scherbaum WA, Bornstein SR: Differential gene expression profile of glucocorticoids, testosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone in human cells. Horm Metab Res 2001;33:691-695.
27. Horigome H, Hirano T, Oka K: Therapeutic effect of glycyrrhetinic acid in MRL 1pr/1pr mice: implications of alteration of corticosteroid metabolism. Life Sci 2001;69:2429-2438.
28. Werner S, Brismar K, Olsson S: Hyperprolactinaemia and liquorice. Lancet 1979;1:319.