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Can licorice lick colon cancer?
Paul M. Stewart, Stephen M. Prescott
Paul M. Stewart, Stephen M. Prescott
Published March 23, 2009
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2009;119(4):760-763. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI38936.
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Commentary

Can licorice lick colon cancer?

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Abstract

COX-2 promotes colon cancer. While both nonselective NSAIDs and selective COX-2 inhibitors reduce disease burden, their adverse gastrointestinal and cardiovascular side effects limit their therapeutic use. In this issue of the JCI, Zhang et al. used gene silencing and a derivative of licorice root to show that inhibition of the enzyme 11β–hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type II (11βHSD2) reduces tumor COX-2 activity, tumor growth, and metastasis by increasing the tonic glucocorticoid-mediated suppression of the COX-2 signaling pathway without the adverse effects associated with NSAIDs and selective COX-2 inhibitors (see the related article beginning on page 876). Their findings suggest that 11βHSD2 inhibition may be a potential therapeutic option in colon cancer, warranting further investigation.

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Paul M. Stewart, Stephen M. Prescott

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