# Glycyrrhiza glabra L. Extracts with Potential Antiproliferative and Anti-Migration Activities Against Breast and Gynecological Cancer Cell Lines

## TL;DR

This study shows that licorice root extracts, especially hydrolysate forms, have strong anti-cancer effects on breast and gynecological cancer cells.

## Contribution

The study identifies licorice hydrolysate extracts and isoliquiritigenin as novel effective agents against multiple cancer cell lines.

## Key findings

- Hydrolysate licorice extracts showed higher cytotoxicity than raw extracts at 30 and 60 µg/mL.
- Isoliquiritigenin inhibited over 70% of cancer cell growth at 30 µg/mL in all tested cell lines.
- LIT2-H and LMO-H extracts reduced migration of ovarian and cervical cancer cells in wound-healing tests.

## Abstract

Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (Fabaceae) is a plant species with already demonstrated countless biological properties and many more still to be discovered. Here, root sample extracts from different geographical areas were compared based on their phytochemical profiles and biological activities. Both raw and hydrolysate extracts, as well as 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid, glycyrrhizin, and isoliquiritigenin, considered as the main licorice secondary metabolites, were screened for antiproliferative and anti-migration properties in MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, A2780, HeLa, SiHa, and C33A breast and gynecological cancer cell lines. Hydrolysate extracts showed higher cytotoxicity than the raw extracts at the same final concentrations, 30 and 60 µg/mL, respectively. Among the standards, isoliquiritigenin showed the most pronounced cytotoxic activity, with inhibitory percentages exceeding 70% in each of the investigated cell lines at the lowest tested dose of 30 µg/mL. Then, the most effective extracts in the MTT assay, LIT2-H and LMO-H, were screened in a wound-healing test, demonstrating efficacy against ovarian (A2780) and cervical (C33A) cancer cell lines after 24 and 48 h of exposure.