Glycyrrhiza glabra L. Medicinal Plants as Potential Source of COX-2 Inhibitors

The association of chronic inflammation with development of human cancer is well recognized. There are number of reports of involvement of inflammatory process in the initiation and progress of cancer. The search for selective inhibitors of Cyclooxygenase-2 isoenzymes and that too from natural origin is considerably important. Rubia cordifolia L. and Glycyrrhiza glabra L. find an important place in the Ayurvedic system of medicine. Several secondary plant metabolites were isolated from roots of R. cordifolia and rhizomes of G. glabra and were investigated for the COX-2 inhibitory activity using Cayman COX (ovine) inhibitory screening assay. A few molecules showed potent COX-2 inhibitory activity which may serve as lead molecules for cancer chemoprevention studies.