Clinically useful anticancer, antitumor, and antiwrinkle agent, ursolic acid and related derivatives as medicinally important natural product

J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem. 2011 Oct;26(5):616-42. doi: 10.3109/14756366.2010.546793. Epub 2011 Mar 22.

Abstract

Medicinal plants are becoming an important research area for novel and bioactive molecules for drug discovery. Novel therapeutic strategies and agents are urgently needed to treat different incurable diseases. Many plant derived active compounds are in human clinical trials. Currently ursolic acid is in human clinical trial for treating cancer, tumor, and skin wrinkles. This review includes the clinical use of ursolic acid in various diseases including anticancer, antitumor, and antiwrinkle chemotherapies, and the isolation and purification of this tritepernoid from various plants to update current knowledge on the rapid analysis of ursolic acid by using analytical methods. In addition, the chemical modifications of ursolic acid to make more effective and water soluble derivatives, previous and current information regarding, its natural and semisynthetic analogs, focusing on its anticancer, cytotoxic, antitumor, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-HIV, acetyl cholinesterase, α-glucosidase, antimicrobial, and hepatoprotective activities, briefly discussion is attempted here for its research perspectives. This review article contains fourteen medicinally important ursolic acid derivatives and 351 references.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemistry*
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Dermatologic Agents / chemistry*
  • Dermatologic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Pharmaceutical Preparations
  • Plants, Medicinal / chemistry
  • Triterpenes / chemistry*
  • Triterpenes / pharmacology*
  • Ursolic Acid

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Dermatologic Agents
  • Pharmaceutical Preparations
  • Triterpenes