The effect of glycyrrhetinic acid on the action of aldosterone in stimulating sodium transport in frog skin.

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Administration of licorice or its active ingredient, glycyrrhizin, causes elevation of blood pressure, hypokalemia and metabolic alkalosis in man. To elucidate the mechanism of action of glycyrrhetinic acid in causing the mineralocorticoid excess syndrome, the effect of the agent on the active transport of Na in frog skin was examined. The rate of active transport was evaluated by a short circuit current using a Ussing''s chamber. The short circuit current increased significantly after the addition of 10-8 M aldosterone to the incubation media. It remained unchanged or suppressed when either glycyrrhizin or glycyrrhetinic acid was added. The addition of 10-6 M glycyrrhetinic acid in the presence of 10-8 M aldosterone stimulated the short circuit current significantly as compared with the control skin which was treated with aldosterone alone. Glycyrrhetinic acid is thought to potentiate the action of aldosterone and facilitate the active transport of Na in amphibian epithelium. The pseudoaldosteronism induced by glycyrrhizin administration in man may in part be due to the potentiation of aldosterone action by this drug.

This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit: