Preliminary evidence for inhibitory effect of glycyrrhizin on HIV replication in patients with AIDS.

Glycyrrhizin (GL) at a dose of 400-1600 mg/day (7.2-30.8 mg/kg/day) was administered intravenously for a period of more than a month, on 6 separate occasions, to 3 hemophiliacs with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) p24 antigen was detected at the beginning of 5 of the 6 treatment courses. Viral antigen was not detected at the end of or during 3 of the 5 treatment courses and decreased to a low level following the 2 other courses. These findings suggest that GL might inhibit HIV-1 replication in vivo.