The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) scientists have bagged a US Patent for inventing a new use for plant derived glycoside, 'glycyrrhizin'. The scientists found the compound to be a highly potent bio-enhancer of activity.

The invention provides novel compositions containing extracts and compounds obtained from the plant Glycyrrhiza glabra, useful as bio-enhancers and bio-availability facilitators for a variety of molecules including anti-infective, anti-cancer agents and nutritional compositions.

This invention also relates to a method for enhancing the biological availability, proficiency and efficacy of drugs, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and other related compounds including amino acids, vitamins and other nutritional elements and ions. The present invention has direct implication in drastically reducing the dosage of antibiotics, drugs and anti-cancer agents while increasing the efficiency of absorption of nutritional elements.

The patent abstract notes that the invention facilitates the absorption or uptake of antibiotics and other molecules across the cell membrane in plant and animal cells as well as Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and therefore can be used as a drug facilitator or bio enhancer molecule to increase the efficacy of drugs and nutraceutical agents. The compound having no anti-microbial orcytotoxic activity of its own, is a safe candidate to reduce the drug dosage towards circumventing the problem of drug resistance and the other side effects in anti-infective and anti-cancer therapies, the scientists have stated.

The scientists involved in the invention are Suman Preet Singh, SushilKumar, Jai Shankar Arya, Ajit Kumar Shasany, Monika Singh, SoumyaAwasthi, Subhas Chandra Gupta, Mahendra Pandurang Darokar and Laiq Ur Rahman.