Efficacy of a glycyrrhizin suppository for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C: a pilot study

Intravenous administration of glycyrrhizin has potential efficacy on decreasing serum aminotransferase levels in patients with chronic hepatitis. However, patients receiving this treatment are recommended to attend hospital regularly for several years. To improve the quality of life for these patients, we developed a glycyrrhizin suppository. In this pilot study, we examined the most effective and safe material contents of the suppository and revealed clinical efficacy for patients with biopsy-proven chronic hepatitis C comparing intravenous administration of glycyrrhizin. As content combinations of the suppository, a mixture of 300 mg of glycyrrhizinic ammonium salt and 60 μg of sodium capric acid, with pH neutralization, was confirmed to be most effective and safe condition, based on analysis of serum glycyrrhizin levels and the grade of rectal irritations in tested patients. The efficacy on decreasing serum alanine aminotransferase levels for 12-week administration of the suppository in 13 patients with chronic hepatitis C was similar to that in another 13 patients intravenously administered glycyrrhizin. Moreover, no serious side effects were observed. In conclusion, the usage of the newly developed suppository of glycyrrhizin can improve the quality of life for chronic hepatitis C patients, especially those who do not respond with viral clearance to interferon therapy. Using this suppository, larger and longer-term studies are needed.