Ursolic acid: Source; Biological activity and Mechanism of action

Source of Ursolic acid

Ursolic acid is a pharmacologically active pentacyclic triterpenoid derived from medicinal plants, fruits and vegetables. It is found in many plants, including apple, lingonberry, cranberry, elderflower, peppermint, lavender, oregano, thyme, hawthorn, and plum. Malus pumila (apple), Ocimum basilicum (basil), Vaccimum spp. (blueberries), Vaccinium macrocarpon (cranberry), Ola europaea (olive), Origanum vulgare, Rosmarinus officinalis, Salvia, and Thyme (thyme) are the main plants that contain ursolic acid.

Biological activity of Ursolic acid

Ursolic acid(UA) possesses various interesting biological activities including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antidiabetic properties etc. The anticancer effects of UA have been reported for various types of cancers such as endometrial, pancreatic, lung, prostate, ovarian, bladder, gastric, and liver cancers.

Mechanism of action

Some reports have extensively explored the pharmacological properties of UA. In terms of the anticancer properties, studies have demonstrated that UA can modulate the cellular transcription factor; growth factor receptors; cytokines inflammatory; and many other molecular targets which regulate the cell proliferation, metastasis, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and autophagy of cancer cell lines through different mechanisms and signaling pathways.

Other UA molecular targets reported for the treatment of cancer include its effect on p53 pathways; the canonical pathway (Wnt/β-catenin); Ras signaling; and transcription pathways like nuclear factor kappa light chain enhancer of activated B cells (NF-Kb), Tumor Necrosis Factor-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (TRAIL), and the Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) family of transcription factors.

References:

[1] VUYOLWETHU KHWAZA, Blessing A A, Opeoluwa O Oyedeji. Ursolic Acid-Based Derivatives as Potential Anti-Cancer Agents: An Update.[J]. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2020. DOI:10.3390/ijms21165920.