For Publishers
DiscoveryMetadataPeer reviewHostingPublishing
For Researchers
JoinPublishReviewCollect
Register
Blog
About
Search
Advanced search
My ScienceOpen
Search
For Publishers
For Researchers
Blog
About
61
views
194
references
 Top references
cited by
106
    
0 reviews
 Review
0
comments
 Comment
0
recommends
+1 Recommend
0 collections
    0
    shares
      966
      similar
       All similar
      • Record: found
      • Abstract: found
      • Article: found
      Is Open Access

      Ursolic Acid—A Pentacyclic Triterpenoid with a Wide Spectrum of Pharmacological Activities

      review-article
      Author(s): * , ,
      Editor(s):
      Publication date (Electronic):
      Journal: Molecules
      Publisher: MDPI
      Keywords: ursolic acid, anticancer, triterpene, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial

      Read this article at

      ScienceOpenPublisherPMC
      Bookmark
          There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

          Abstract

          Ursolic acid (UA) is a natural terpene compound exhibiting many pharmaceutical properties. In this review the current state of knowledge about the health-promoting properties of this widespread, biologically active compound, as well as information about its occurrence and biosynthesis are presented. Particular attention has been paid to the application of ursolic acid as an anti-cancer agent; it is worth noticing that clinical tests suggesting the possibility of practical use of UA have already been conducted. Amongst other pharmacological properties of UA one can mention protective effect on lungs, kidneys, liver and brain, anti-inflammatory properties, anabolic effects on skeletal muscles and the ability to suppress bone density loss leading to osteoporosis. Ursolic acid also exhibits anti-microbial features against numerous strains of bacteria, HIV and HCV viruses and Plasmodium protozoa causing malaria.

          Related collections

          Most cited references194

          • Record: found
          • Abstract: found
          • Article: not found

          Cyclooxygenases 1 and 2.

          J R Vane, Y Bakhle, R. M. Botting (1998)
          Cyclooxygenase (COX), first purified in 1976 and cloned in 1988, is the key enzyme in the synthesis of prostaglandins (PGs) from arachidonic acid. In 1991, several laboratories identified a product from a second gene with COX activity and called it COX-2. However, COX-2 was inducible, and the inducing stimuli included pro-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors, implying a role for COX-2 in both inflammation and control of cell growth. The two isoforms of COX are almost identical in structure but have important differences in substrate and inhibitor selectivity and in their intracellular locations. Protective PGs, which preserve the integrity of the stomach lining and maintain normal renal function in a compromised kidney, are synthesized by COX-1. In addition to the induction of COX-2 in inflammatory lesions, it is present constitutively in the brain and spinal cord, where it may be involved in nerve transmission, particularly that for pain and fever. PGs made by COX-2 are also important in ovulation and in the birth process. The discovery of COX-2 has made possible the design of drugs that reduce inflammation without removing the protective PGs in the stomach and kidney made by COX-1. These highly selective COX-2 inhibitors may not only be anti-inflammatory but may also be active in colon cancer and Alzheimer's disease.
          Article 0 comments Cited 338 times – based on 0 reviews     Review now
            Bookmark
            • Record: found
            • Abstract: found
            • Article: not found

            Pharmacology of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid.

            Jie Liu (1995)
            Oleanolic acid and ursolic acid are triterpenoid compounds that exist widely in food, medicinal herbs and other plants. This review summarizes the pharmacological studies on these two triterpenoids. Both oleanolic acid and ursolic acid are effective in protecting against chemically induced liver injury in laboratory animals. Oleanolic acid has been marketed in China as an oral drug for human liver disorders. The mechanism of hepatoprotection by these two compounds may involve the inhibition of toxicant activation and the enhancement of the body defense systems. Oleanolic acid and ursolic acid have also been long-recognized to have antiinflammatory and antihyperlipidemic properties in laboratory animals, and more research is warranted to develop a therapy for patients. Recently, both compounds have been noted for their antitumor-promotion effects, which are stimulating additional research in this field. Oleanolic acid and ursolic acid are relatively non-toxic, and have been used in cosmetics and health products. The possible mechanisms for the pharmacological effects and the prospects for these two compounds are discussed.
            Article 0 comments Cited 254 times – based on 0 reviews     Review now
              Bookmark
              • Record: found
              • Abstract: found
              • Article: not found

              Triterpene biosynthesis in plants.

              Ramesha Thimmappa, Katrin Geisler, Thomas Louveau … (2014)
              The triterpenes are one of the most numerous and diverse groups of plant natural products. They are complex molecules that are, for the most part, beyond the reach of chemical synthesis. Simple triterpenes are components of surface waxes and specialized membranes and may potentially act as signaling molecules, whereas complex glycosylated triterpenes (saponins) provide protection against pathogens and pests. Simple and conjugated triterpenes have a wide range of applications in the food, health, and industrial biotechnology sectors. Here, we review recent developments in the field of triterpene biosynthesis, give an overview of the genes and enzymes that have been identified to date, and discuss strategies for discovering new triterpene biosynthetic pathways.
              Article 0 comments Cited 221 times – based on 0 reviews     Review now
                Bookmark
                All references

                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Fernando Albericio: Role: Academic Editor
                Journal
                Journal ID (nlm-ta): Molecules
                Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Molecules
                Journal ID (publisher-id): molecules
                Title: Molecules
                Publisher: MDPI
                ISSN (Electronic): 1420-3049
                Publication date (Electronic): 19 November 2015
                Publication date Collection: November 2015
                Volume: 20
                Issue: 11
                Pages: 20614-20641
                Affiliations
                Department of Fruit and Vegetable Product Technology, Institute of Agricultural and Food Biotechnology, 36 Rakowiecka Street, 02-532 Warsaw, Poland; skapska@ 123456ibprs.pl (S.S.); marszalek@ 123456ibprs.pl (K.M.)
                Author notes
                [* ]Correspondence: lukasz.wozniak@ 123456ibprs.pl ; Tel.: +48-226-063-604; Fax: +48-228-490-426
                Article
                Publisher ID: molecules-20-19721
                DOI: 10.3390/molecules201119721
                PMC ID: 6332387
                PubMed ID: 26610440
                SO-VID: d864ecd0-6f53-40c6-8dab-5e93c2e44344
                Copyright © © 2015 by the authors.
                License:

                Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons by Attribution (CC-BY) license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

                History
                Date received : 03 July 2015
                Date accepted : 23 September 2015
                Categories
                Subject: Review

                Keywords: ursolic acid,anticancer,triterpene,anti-inflammatory,antibacterial
                Data availability:
                Keywords: ursolic acid, anticancer, triterpene, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial

                Comments

                Comment on this article

                scite_

                Similar content966

                See all similar

                Cited by104

                See all cited by

                Most referenced authors2,265

                See all reference authors