Semilicoisoflavone B can inhibit sorbitol formation of rat lens incubated with a high concentration of glucose, indicates that it may be effective for preventing osmotic stress in hyperglycemia.

We evaluated the inhibitory effects of components from the root of Glycyrrhiza uralensis (G. uralensis) on aldose reductase (AR) and sorbitol formation in rat lenses with high levels of glucose as part of our ongoing search of natural sources for therapeutic and preventive agents for diabetic complications. In order to identify the bioactive components of G. uralensis, 5 prenylated flavonoids (Semilicoisoflavone B, 7-O-methylluteone, dehydroglyasperin C, dehydroglyasperin D, and isoangustone A), three flavonoids (liquiritigenin, isoliquiritigenin, and licochalcone A), and two triterpenoids (glycyrrhizin and glycyrrhetinic acid) were isolated; their chemical structures were then elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic evidence and comparison with published data. The anti-diabetic complication activities of 10 G. uralensis-derived components were investigated via inhibitory assays using rat lens AR (rAR) and human recombinant AR (rhAR). From the 10 isolated compounds, Semilicoisoflavone B showed the most potent inhibition, with the IC(50) values of rAR and rhAR at 1.8 and 10.6microM, respectively.