Previously, we showed that glycyrrhizic acid administered to
the ovariectomized rats at a dose of 15 mg/ kg po for 4 weeks revealed only slight effect on the
histomorphological parameters of the bones [14]. To the best of our knowledge, there are no other
studies describing the effect of glycyrrhizic acid on skeletal system of the estrogen-deficient
rats. In this study, administration of glycyrrhizic acid at a dose of 15 mg/kg po to the
ovariectomized rats, resulted in a decrease of water content in the femur, the tibia and L-4
vertebra. As there was no increase of mineral content associated with the decrease of water content
in these bones, further accumulation of organic substances was noted. As for the mechanical
parameters in the rats administered with glycyrrhizic acid, there were increase of displacement for
maximal load in the tibia and increase of the Young’s modulus in the femur and in the tibia. The
increase in displacement for maximal load in the GL and GA groups may be related to the increased
organic compounds. These observations cannot be interpreted as a beneficial effect of glycyrrhizic
acid on mechanical parameters of osteoporotically- changed bones in female rats.