18β-甘草次酸(18β-glycyrrhetinic acid)是由甘草成分中的甘草甜素水解代謝後的產物，在抗發炎、抗癌、治療疾病上已有廣泛的研究，可以防止人類角質形成細胞中氧化性DNA損傷和細胞凋亡相關蛋白的激活，是有效的抗氧化劑。
硫縮酮(thioketal)是一種可以通過氧化方式降解的一種化合物，且在酸性與鹼性環境下穩定，本研究利用此種特性來包覆弱酸性的18β-甘草次酸並製備奈米顆粒。
首先，合成出聚硫縮酮高分子聚合物做為藥物載體，使用單一乳化法製備包覆18β-甘草次酸之奈米顆粒。透過UVB照射正常人類角質形成細胞(normal human keratinocyte, NHK)，誘導細胞發炎產生大量活性氧物質(Reactive oxygen species, ROS)，使聚硫縮酮載體降解而釋放出18β-甘草次酸。透過量測IL-1β、IL-18促炎細胞因子濃度的結果表明，包覆18β-甘草次酸之奈米顆粒有抑制發炎的效果，而18β-甘草次酸純藥濃度較高會造成較多的細胞死亡，包覆18β-甘草次酸之聚硫縮酮奈米顆粒細胞毒性較低。

18β-glycyrrhetic acid is a product of hydrolysis and metabolism of glycyrrhizin which is one of the ingredients in licorice, and it has been extensively studied in anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and therapeutic diseases. 18β-glycyrrhetinic is potent antioxidants that prevent oxidative DNA fragmentation and the activation of apoptosis-associated proteins in human keratinocytes.
Thioketal is a compound that can be degraded selectively in response to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and is stable in acidic and alkaline environments. This study used this property to coat 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid to prepare nanoparticle.
First, the polythioketal polymer was synthesized as a drug carrier, and the nanoparticle coated with 18β-glycyrrhetic acid was prepared by a single emulsification method. Normal human keratinocyte (NHK) is irradiated by UVB to induce inflammation and release a large amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which degrades the polythioketal carrier and releases 18β-glycyrrhetic acid. The results of measuring the concentration of IL-1β and IL-18 proinflammatory cytokines showed that the nanoparticle coated with 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid had the effect of inhibiting inflammation. However, the higher concentration of 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid pure drug caused more death cell, and the polythioketal nanoparticle coated with 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid had lower cytotoxicity.

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