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Review
. 2021 Jul 21;10(8):1161.
doi: 10.3390/antiox10081161.

Ursolic Acid and Related Analogues: Triterpenoids with Broad Health Benefits

Huynh Nga Nguyen  1 , Sarah L Ullevig  2 , John D Short  3 , Luxi Wang  4 , Yong Joo Ahn  4 , Reto Asmis  4
Affiliations
Review

Ursolic Acid and Related Analogues: Triterpenoids with Broad Health Benefits

Huynh Nga Nguyen et al. Antioxidants (Basel). .

Abstract

Ursolic acid (UA) is a well-studied natural pentacyclic triterpenoid found in herbs, fruit and a number of traditional Chinese medicinal plants. UA has a broad range of biological activities and numerous potential health benefits. In this review, we summarize the current data on the bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of UA and review the literature on the biological activities of UA and its closest analogues in the context of inflammation, metabolic diseases, including liver and kidney diseases, obesity and diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and neurological disorders. We end with a brief overview of UA's main analogues with a special focus on a newly discovered naturally occurring analogue with intriguing biological properties and potential health benefits, 23-hydroxy ursolic acid.

Keywords: antioxidants; atherosclerosis; botanicals; cancer; inflammation; metabolic diseases; nutraceutical.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. Reto Asmis is the co-founder and President of Exprimon Corporation, a San Antonio-based startup company planning to commercialize 23-hydroxy ursolic acid as a dietary supplement.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Four basic ring skeletons of pentacyclic triterpenoids.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Structures of ursolic acid and key related pentacyclic triterpenoids.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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