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Drug Development · The big question

Black licorice compound shows early promise for treating IBD

Black licorice compound shows promise against inflammatory bowel disease

Science Daily1 min readAI-assisted summary
Editorial illustration for Black licorice compound shows promise against inflammatory bowel disease
Editorial illustration

Summary

Inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, causes chronic inflammation in the digestive tract. To find better ways to treat this condition, researchers recently created a new model of the human intestine using stem cells. Stem cells are special cells that can develop into many different tissue types, allowing scientists to recreate human intestinal tissue in the lab.

Using this new lab-grown model, the research team tested various substances and found a surprising candidate. They discovered that glycyrrhizin, a natural compound derived from black licorice, has strong anti-inflammatory properties. When tested, this compound successfully reduced the intestinal damage and cell death that are typically associated with IBD.

While these results are exciting, the research is still in its early preclinical stages. So far, the compound has only been tested in lab-grown tissues and mouse models. Scientists will need to conduct future clinical trials to confirm whether it is safe and effective for human patients.

Why it matters.

Finding new treatments for inflammatory bowel disease is crucial because chronic digestive inflammation severely impacts a patient's quality of life. The development of a stem cell-based human intestine model is a major step forward for medical research. This tool gives scientists a more accurate way to screen potential drugs, which could significantly speed up the discovery of new therapies for complex digestive diseases.

Furthermore, uncovering the healing potential of a natural compound like glycyrrhizin provides a strong starting point for drug development. If future human trials prove successful, this early-stage discovery could eventually lead to novel medicines that help patients heal damaged tissue and better manage their conditions.

From the source

The story in numbers.

Compounds screened
Thousands
Preclinical models utilized (lab-grown tissue and mice)
2
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Black licorice compound shows early promise for treating IBD — Daily Strand