Prospects for the development of drugs with anti-viral activity based on licorice

The current situation with the widespread of a socially dangerous virus from the genus Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and the announcement of a pandemic in connection with this demand the creation of new antiviral drugs since no specific treatment and prophylaxis against this disease has yet been found. Among medicinal plants that are widespread and exhibit multidirectional pharmacological activity, licorice should be noted. The active components contained in licorice, i.e. more than 20 triterpenoids and about 300 flavonoids coupled with glycyrrhizic acid (GL) referred to by the term "glycyrrhizin", have been widely studied for a long time. GL acts indirectly, interferes with the penetration of the virus into the cell, affects the components (HMGB1 protein) necessary for normal viral reproduction, and potentiates the production of interferon γ and α. GL acts against SARS-associated coronavirus infection by inducing the synthesis of nitric oxide synthase, which inhibits viral replication. However, GL may also be helpful in acute respiratory distress syndrome. The combination of the multidirectional pharmacological effects of GL and its derivatives make the licorice-containing preparations promising components of complex antiviral therapy. Currently, research into licorice-containing dosage forms continues from the perspective of creating vaginal suppositories with a thick extract of licorice