{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]],"date-time":"2026-10-06T18:54:31Z","timestamp":1791312871901,"version":"4.3.1"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,4]],"date-time":"2023-04-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1680566400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Pharmacol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Background:<\/jats:bold>\n                    Inflammation and fibrosis are typical symptoms of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which is one of the most common chronic liver diseases. The cGAS-STING signaling pathway has been implicated in the progression of NASH, and targeting this pathway may represent a new therapeutic strategy. Licorice is a widely used herb with anti-inflammatory and liver-protective properties. In this study, we assessed the effect of licorice extract on the cGAS-STING pathway.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Methods:<\/jats:bold>\n                    Bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) were treated with licorice extract and then stimulated with HT-DNA, 2'3'-cGAMP, or other agonists to activate the cGAS-STING pathway. Quantitative real-time PCR and western blot were conducted to analyze whether licorice extract could affect the cGAS-STING pathway. Methionine and choline-deficient diet (MCD) was used to induce NASH in mice, which were treated with licorice extract (500\u00a0mg\/kg) by gavage and\/or c-176 (15\u00a0mg\/kg) by intraperitoneal injection every 2\u00a0days. After 6\u00a0weeks of treatment, histological analysis of liver tissue was performed, along with measurements of plasma biochemical parameters.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Results:<\/jats:bold>\n                    Licorice extract inhibits cGAS-STING pathway activation. Mechanistically, it might function by inhibiting the oligomerization of STING. Treatment with licorice extract reduced inflammation and fibrosis in MCD diet-induced NASH mice models. Furthermore, we found that the therapeutic effect of combination treatment with licorice extract and C-176 (STING inhibitor) on the pathology and fibrosis of MCD diet-induced NASH models was similar to that of licorice extract or C-176 administered alone.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    <jats:bold>Conclusion:<\/jats:bold>\n                    Licorice extract can inhibit the cGAS-STING pathway and improve hepatic inflammation and fibrosis in NASH mice models. It strongly suggests that licorice extract may be a candidate therapeutic for NASH.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fphar.2023.1160445","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,4]],"date-time":"2023-04-04T03:33:12Z","timestamp":1680579192000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":34,"title":["Licorice extract inhibits the cGAS-STING pathway and protects against non-alcoholic steatohepatitis"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Wei","family":"Luo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Guang","family":"Xu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zheng","family":"Song","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wenqing","family":"Mu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jincai","family":"Wen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Siwen","family":"Hui","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jia","family":"Zhao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiaoyan","family":"Zhan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhaofang","family":"Bai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiaohe","family":"Xiao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5328","DOI":"10.1128\/JVI.00037-14","article-title":"Cytosolic-DNA-mediated, STING-dependent proinflammatory gene induction necessitates canonical NF-\u03baB activation through TBK1","volume":"88","author":"Abe","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. 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