Oleanolic acid and ursolic acid are triterpenoid compounds that exist widely in food, medicinal herbs and other plants. This review summarizes the pharmacological studies on these two triterpenoids. Both oleanolic acid and ursolic acid are effective in protecting against chemically induced liver injury in laboratory animals. Oleanolic acid has been marketed in China as an oral drug for human li...

BACKGROUND Although previous study has demonstrated that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is involved in the antidepressant-like effect of oleanolic acid, there is little information regarding the details of the molecular mechanism involved in this effect. METHODS We used a chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) model to test the antidepressant-like effect of oleanolic acid on depre...

Olives and their derivatives represent an important component of the Mediterranean diet that has been considered to be protective against cancer. We investigated the effect on cell proliferation and apoptosis in HT-29 cells of an extract from the skin of olives composed of pentacyclic triterpenes with the main components maslinic acid (73.25%) and oleanolic acid (25.75%). Studies of the dose-de...

Objective(s):The current study was aimed to determine the bioactive constituents and biological effects of the Crataegus monogyna ethanolic extracts from bark, leaves and berries on hypercholesterolemia. Materials and Methods: Oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, quercetin and lupeol concentrations were quantified by HPLC. Total phenol content and radical scavenging activity of extracts were also mea...

Oleanolic acid glycosides from several medicinal foodstuffs were found to show potent inhibitory activity on the increase of serum glucose levels in oral glucose-loaded rats. By examination of the structure-activity relationships, the 3-O-glucuronide moiety and the 28-carboxyl group in oleanolic acid glycosides were required to exert the hypoglycemic activity. Oleanolic acid glycosides were fou...

A gene for cytochrome P450 (moxA) from Nonomuraea recticatena, coexpressed with camAB for pseudomonad redox partners in Escherichia coli, hydroxylated oleanolic acid to produce queretaroic acid. When we used the P450-induced whole-cell as a catalyst, only a small amount of queretaroic acid was produced, probably due to poor permeability of oleanolic acid into the E. coli cell. In an alternative...

The increasing demand for natural products as an alternative therapy for chronic diseases has encouraged research into the pharmacological importance of bioactive compounds from plants. Recently, there has been a surge of interest in the therapeutic potential of oleanolic acid (OA) in the prevention and management of chronic diseases. Oleanolic acid is a pentacyclic triterpenoid widely found in...

Oxidative stress and inflammation are common to many pathological conditions. Defense mechanisms protect cells from oxidative stress, but can become over-activated following injury and inflammation. NF-κB and Nrf2 transcription factors regulate proinflammatory and antioxidant gene expression, respectively. Studies have shown that many natural dietary compounds regulate NF-κB and Nrf2, preventin...

The ethyl acetate partition of dried methanolic extract of aerial parts of Euphorbia microsciadia (Euphorbiaceae) afforded three pentacyclic triterpenes, betulinic acid (1) from lupane type, oleanolic acid (2) from oleane type and ursolic acid (3) from ursane type triterpenes that are reported for the first time in this plant. These three compounds were structurally compared through their mass ...