Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015 Nov 19;20(11):20614-41.
doi: 10.3390/molecules201119721.

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

Łukasz Woźniak  1 , Sylwia Skąpska  2 , Krystian Marszałek  3
Affiliations
Review

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

Łukasz Woźniak et al. Molecules. .

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.

Keywords: anti-inflammatory; antibacterial; anticancer; triterpene; ursolic acid.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Structure of ursolic acid.
Figure 2
Figure 2
IPP formation by the MPA and DXP pathways [12].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Main intracellular signaling pathways. From: Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Laszczyk M.N. Pentacyclic triterpenes of the lupane, oleanane and ursane group as tools in cancer therapy. Planta Med. 2009;75:1549–1560. doi: 10.1055/s-0029-1186102. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Jesus J.A., Lago J.H.G., Laurenti M.D., Yamamoto E.S., Passero L.F. Antimicrobial activity of oleanolic and ursolic acid: An update. Evid. Based Complement. Altern. Med. 2015;2015 doi: 10.1155/2015/620472. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Shanmugam M.K., Dai X., Kumar A.P., Tan B.K.H., Sethi G., Bishayee A. Ursolic acid in cancer prevention and treatment: Molecular targets, pharmacokinetics and clinical studies. Biochem. Pharmacol. 2013;85:1579–1587. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2013.03.006. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ovesná Z., Vachálková A., Horváthová K., Tóthová D. Pentacyclic triterpenoic acids: New chemoprotective compounds. Minireview. Neoplasma. 2004;51:327–333. - PubMed
    1. Dzubak P., Hajduch M., Vydra D., Hustova A., Kvasnica M., Biedermann D., Markova L., Urban M., Sarek J. Pharmacological activities if natural triterpenoids and their therapeutic implications. Nat. Prod. Res. 2006;23:394–411. doi: 10.1002/chin.200637244. - DOI - PubMed

MeSH terms