Ursolic acid in health and disease

Abstract

Ursolic acid (UA) is a natural triterpene compound found in various fruits and vegetables. There is a growing interest in UA because of its beneficial effects, which include anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-apoptotic, and anti-carcinogenic effects. It exerts these effects in various tissues and organs: by suppressing nuclear factor-kappa B signaling in cancer cells, improving insulin signaling in adipose tissues, reducing the expression of markers of cardiac damage in the heart, decreasing inflammation and increasing the level of anti-oxidants in the brain, reducing apoptotic signaling and the level of oxidants in the liver, and reducing atrophy and increasing the expression levels of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase and irisin in skeletal muscles. Moreover, UA can be used as an alternative medicine for the treatment and prevention of cancer, obesity/diabetes, cardiovascular disease, brain disease, liver disease, and muscle wasting (sarcopenia). In this review, we have summarized recent data on the beneficial effects and possible uses of UA in health and disease managements.

Keywords: Disease; Exercise; Health; Irisin; Ursolic acid.

Fig. 1. Structure of ursolic acid.

Fig. 2. Role of UA in various organs.

UA supplementation or treatment can provide positive health outcomes via diverse molecular signaling and mechanisms under various diseases in multiple organs such as cancer cells, adipose tissue, heart, blood vessel, brain, liver, and skeletal muscle. NF-kB, nuclear factor-kappa B; cyclin D1; MMP, matrix metalloproteinase; VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor; ICAM-1, intercellular adhesion molecule-1; CD31, cluster of differentiation 31; STAT3, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3; EGFR, epidermal growth factor receptor; AMPK, AMP-activated protein kinase; JNK, c-Jun N-terminal kinase; GLUT 4, glucose transporter 4; GSK-3β, glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta; HR, heart rate; MAP, mean arterial pressure; TBARS, thiobarbituric reactive substances; CK, creatine kinase; CK-MB, creatine kinase-myocardial band; LDH, lactate dehydrogenease; cTnT, cardiac troponins T; cTnI, cardiac troponin I; HP, lipid hydroperoxides; CD, conjugated dienes; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor-α; Fas, fatty acid synthase; COX-2, cyclooxygenase; iNOS, inducible nitric oxide synthase; IL-1β, interleukin-1 beta; IL-6, interleukin-6; GSH, glutathione; GSSH, oxidized glutathione; SOD, superoxide dismutase; PPAR, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; ALT, alanine transaminase; SREBP, sterol regulatory element-binding protein; ACC, acetyl-coA carboxylase; FAS, fatty acid synthase; ROS, reactive oxygen species; PPAR-α, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha; CPT-1, carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1; MuRF1, muscle ring-finger protein-1; SIRT-1, sirtuin-1 and PGC-1α, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α; IGF-1, insulin-like growth factor-1.