BACKGROUND Betulinic acid (BA) is a lupane-type triterpene which has been considered as a promising agent to cure melanoma with no side effects. Considering that BA is naturally produced in small quantities in plants, we previously reported the success in engineering its production in yeast. In the present study, we attempted to improve BA biosynthesis in yeast by the use of different strategie...

Hepatoblastoma (HB) represents the most common malignant liver tumor in children with a dismal prognosis for patients with advanced disease. This study provides evidence that the naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpenoid betulinic acid (BA) is highly effective against HB. We demonstrate that BA has a strong cytotoxic effect on HB cells in a dose-dependent manner by impinging on cell viabilit...

Betulinic acid, BA, is a lupane derivative that has caught the interest of researchers due to wide variety pharmacological properties it exhibits towards tumor cells. Because their prospective increased anti−proliferative efficacy and improved profile, BA derivatives continue be described in scientific literature. The current work was conducted order determine antiproliferative activity, under ...

Traditional medicine and diet has served mankind through the ages for prevention and treatment of most chronic diseases. Mounting evidence suggests that chronic inflammation mediates most chronic diseases, including cancer. More than other transcription factors, nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) and STAT3 have emerged as major regulators of inflammation, cellular transformation, and tumor cell surv...