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Ursolic Acid (ursolic + acid)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Chemistry	54%
Medical Sciences	45%

Selected Abstracts

Antioxidative and Anti-Inflammatory Protection of Oleanolic Acid and Ursolic Acid in PC12 Cells

JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 7 2008
Shih-Jei Tsai
ABSTRACT:, PC12 cells were used to examine the in vitro antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of oleanolic acid (OA) and ursolic acid (UA). PC12 cells were pretreated with OA or UA at 20 and 40 ,M and followed by exposure of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP+) to induce cell injury. Results showed that H2O2 - or MPP+ -treatment significantly decreased cell viability and increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release (P < 0.05). The pretreatment from OA or UA significantly and concentration-dependently reduced subsequent H2O2 - or MPP+ -induced cell death and LDH release (P < 0.05). Either H2O2 - or MPP+ -treatment significantly increased malonyldialdehyde (MDA) formation, decreased glutathione (GSH) content, and diminished glutathione peroxidase (GPX), catalase, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities (P < 0.05). The pretreatment from OA or UA significantly retained GSH, and reversed H2O2 - and MPP+ -induced impairment in catalase and SOD activities (P < 0.05), and decreased MDA formation (P < 0.05). Either H2O2 - or MPP+ -treatment significantly elevated interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-, levels (P < 0.05). The pretreatments from OA or UA significantly attenuated subsequent H2O2 - or MPP+ -induced release of IL-6 and TNF-, (P < 0.05). Based on the observed antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities from OA and UA, these 2 compounds were potent agents against neurodegenerative disorder. [source]

Determination of glycyrrhetic acid in human plasma by HPLC-MS method and investigation of its pharmacokinetics

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 3 2008
W.-J. Zhao PhD
Summary Objective:, To develop a high performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) method for the determination of the glycyrrhetic acid (GA) in human plasma and for the investigation of its pharmacokinetics after the oral administration of 150 mg diammonium glycyrrhizinate test and reference capsule formulations. Methods:, The GA in plasma was extracted with ethyl acetate, separated on a C18 column with a mobile phase of methanol (5 mmol/L ammonium acetate),water (85 : 15, V/V) and analysed using a MS detector. Ursolic acid (UA) was used as internal standard. The target ions were m/z 469·5 for GA and m/z 455·6 for UA, the fragment voltages were 200 V and 100 V for GA and UA respectively. Results:, The calibration curve was linear over the range of 0·5,200 ng/mL (r = 0·9974). The limit of quantification for GA in plasma was 0·5 ng/mL, the recovery was 76·0,80·0%, and the inter- and intra-day relative standard deviations (RSD) were <12%. The pharmacokinetic parameters of GA after a single dose of 150 mg diammonium glycyrrhizinate test and reference were as follows: the half life (t1/2) 9·65 ± 3·54 h and 9·46 ± 2·85 h, the time to peak concentration (Tmax) 10·95 ± 1·32 h and 11·00 ± 1·30 h, the peak concentration (Cmax) 95·57 ± 43·06 ng/mL and 103·89 ± 49·24 ng/mL; the area under time-concentration curve (AUC0,48 and AUC0,,) 1281·84 ± 527·11 ng·h/mL and 1367·74 ± 563·27 ng·h/mL, 1314·32 ± 566·40 ng·h/mL and 1396·97 ± 630·06 ng·h/mL. The relative bioavailability of diammonium glycyrrhizinate capsule was 98·88 ± 12·98%. Conclusion:, The assay was sensitive, accurate and convenient, and can be used for the determination of GA in human plasma. Comparison of the bioavailability and pharmacokinetic profile of GA indicated that the test and reference capsules were bioequivalent. [source]

The anti-arthritic effect of ursolic acid on zymosan-induced acute inflammation and adjuvant-induced chronic arthritis models

JOURNAL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACOLOGY: AN INTERNATI ONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCE, Issue 10 2008
Suk-Yun Kang
Ursolic acid (UA) is pentacyclic triterpenoic acid that naturally occurs in many medicinal herbs and plants. In this study, we examined the possible suppressive effect of UA extracted from Oldenlandia diffusa on zymosan-induced acute inflammation in mice and complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced arthritis in rats. UA treatment (per oral) dose-dependently (25,200 mg kg,1) suppressed zymosan-induced leucocyte migration and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production in the air pouch exudates. Since the maximal effective dose of UA was 50 mg kg,1 in the zymosan experiment, we used this dose of UA in a subsequent study using an adjuvant-induced rheumatoid arthritis model. UA treatment (50 mg kg,1, per oral, once a day for 10 days) was started from day 12 after adjuvant injection. UA dramatically inhibited paw swelling, plasma PGE2 production and radiological changes in the joint caused by CFA injection. Moreover, UA significantly suppressed the arthritis-induced mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia as well as the spinal Fos expression, as determined by immunohistochemistry, which was increased by CFA injection. In addition, overall anti-arthritic potency of UA was comparable with ibuprofen (100 mg kg,1, oral) while UA did not induce significant gastric lesions as compared with the ibuprofen treatment group. These findings strongly suggest that UA is a useful suppressive compound for rheumatoid arthritis treatment with low risk of gastric problems. [source]

Ursolic acid and luteolin-7-glucoside improve lipid profiles and increase liver glycogen content through glycogen synthase kinase-3

PHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, Issue S2 2010
Marisa F. Azevedo
Abstract In the present study, two phytochemicals , ursolic acid (UA) and luteolin-7-glucoside (L7G) , were assessed in vivo in healthy rats regarding effects on plasma glucose and lipid profile (total cholesterol, HDL and LDL), as well as liver glycogen content, in view of their importance in the aetiology of diabetes and associated complications. Both UA and L7G significantly decreased plasma glucose concentration. UA also significantly increased liver glycogen levels accompanied by phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3). The increase in glycogen deposition induced by UA (mediated by GSK3) could have contributed to the lower plasma glucose levels observed. Both compounds significantly lowered total plasma cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein levels, and, in addition, UA increased plasma high-density lipoprotein levels. Our results show that UA particularly may be useful in preventable strategies for people at risk of developing diabetes and associated cardiovascular complications by improving plasma glucose levels and lipid profile, as well as by promoting liver glycogen deposition. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Studying the anti-tyrosinase effect of Arbutus andrachne L. extracts

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE, Issue 4 2008
R. A. Issa
Synopsis Arbutus andrachne L. is widely distributed in Jordan. Tyrosinase is the key enzyme in the biosynthesis of melanin. This preliminary study was carried out to assess the possible anti-tyrosinase activity of A. andrachne extracts. Arbutin, hydroquinone and kojic acid were selected as inhibitor standards. Five different extracts (chloroform, butanol, ethanol, methanol and water) were prepared from A. andrachne stems and their activities were compared with the selected tyrosinase inhibitors. IC50 was measured for both, standard and plant extracts. Among the different extracts, the methanolic extract exhibited the highest anttyrosinase activity with an IC50 value (1 mg mL,1). Furthermore, 9 mg A. andrachne methanolic extract showed 97.49% inhibition of tyrosinase activity. Arbutin, hydroquinone, ,-sitosterol and ursolic acid were identified in the different extracts of A. andrachne by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and isolated by preparative TLC from the methanolic and chloroform stem extracts, respectively. Résumé Arbutus andrachne L. est largement répandu en Jordanie. La tyrosinase est un enzyme clé dans la biosynthèse de la mélanine. Cette étude préliminaire est menée dans le but de juger de la possible activité anti-tyrosinase des extraits d'A. andrachne L. L'arbutine, l'hydroquinone et l'acide kojique ont été sélectionnés comme inhibiteurs de référence. Cinq extraits différents (chloroforme, butanol, éthanol, méthanol et eau) ont été préparés à partir de tiges d'A. andrachne L. et leurs activités ont été comparées à celles des inhibiteurs de tyrosinase sélectionnés. L'IC50 a été mesurée à la fois pour les références et les extraits de plantes. Parmi les différents extraits, l'extrait méthanolique montre l'activité anti-tyrosinase la plus élevée avec une valeur d'IC50 de 1 mg mL,1. De plus, 9 mg d'extrait méthanolique d'A. andrachne L. possède une activité inhibitrice de la tyrosinase de 97.49%. L'arbutine, l'hydroquinone, le ,-sitostérol et l'acide ursolique ont été identifiés dans les différents extraits par chromatographie sur couches minces et isolés par chromatographie préparative, respectivement à partir des extraits méthanoliques et chloroformiques de tiges. [source]

Molluscicides from some common medicinal plants of eastern Uttar Pradesh, India

JOURNAL OF APPLIED TOXICOLOGY, Issue 1 2010
Sunil Kumar Singh
Abstract Many aquatic snails act as intermediate hosts for the larvae of trematodes, Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica, which cause the diseases fascioliasis and schistosomiasis. The WHO has tested several thousands of synthetic compounds for the control of the snail host. Although effective, these molluscicides have so far not proved themselves to be entirely satisfactory. With a growing awareness of environmental pollution, efforts are being made to discover molluscicidal products of plant origin. Being products of biosynthesis, these are potentially biodegradable in nature. Several groups of compounds present in various plants have been found to be toxic to target organisms at acceptable doses ranging from <1 to 100,ppm. Common medicinal plants, i.e. Thevetia peruviana, Alstonia scholaris (Family; Apocynaceae), Euphorbia pulcherima and Euphorbia hirta (Family; Euphorbiaceae), have potent molluscicidal activity against freshwater snails. The toxicological actions of Thevetia peruviana may be due to the presence of apigenin-5-methyl ether (flavonoid) and triterpenoid glycosides, while a number of alkaloids (pseudo-akuammigine in addition to betulin, ursolic acid and ,-sitosterol), steroids and triterpenoids are present in Alstonia scholaris and the diterpenoids, pulcherrol, ,-sitosterol, hentriacontane, ellagic acid and ,-amyrin are present in Euphorbia hirta and in Euphorbia pulcherima. Although, at present very little literature is available on the control of vector snails through plant origin pesticides, an attempt has been made in this review to assemble all the known information on molluscicidal properties of common medicinal plants of eastern Uttar Pradesh, India, which might be useful for the control of harmful snails. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Antioxidative and Anti-Inflammatory Protection of Oleanolic Acid and Ursolic Acid in PC12 Cells

Inhibition of Oxidative and Antioxidative Enzymes by Trans-Resveratrol

JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 2 2001
X. Fan
ABSTRACT: Trans-resveratrol, a phytoalexin produced by a variety of plants, has been shown to inhibit oxidative enzymes in an animal cell system. Its effect on several oxidative and antioxidative enzymes from plants was investigated using in vitro assays. Trans-resveratrol inhibited superoxide dismutase, lipoxygenase, catalase, peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase with apparent KI's of 10, 90, 100, 255, 305, and 350 ,M, respectively. Trans-resveratrol inhibited lipoxygenase activity more effectively than other lipoxygenase inhibitors, including propyl gallate, ibuprofen, ursolic acid, acetylsalicylic acid, and salicylhydroxamic acid. [source]

Gas phase isomeric differentiation of oleanolic and ursolic acids associated with heptakis-(2,6-di- O -methyl)-,-cyclodextrin by electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

JOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY (INCORP BIOLOGICAL MASS SPECTROMETRY), Issue 4 2010
Zhan Yu
Abstract Oleanolic acid (OA) and ursolic acid (UA) are isomeric triterpenoid compounds with similar pharmaceutical properties. Usually, modern chromatographic and electrophoretic methods are widely utilized to differentiate these two compounds. Compared with mass spectrometric (MS) methods, these modern separation methods are both time- and sample-consuming. Herein, we present a new method for structural differentiation of OA and UA by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) with the association of heptakis-(2,6-di- O -methyl)-,-cyclodextrin (DM-,-CD). Exact MS and tandem MS (MS/MS) data showed that there is no perceptible difference between OA and UA, as well as their ,-cyclodextrin and ,-cyclodextrin complexes. However, there is a remarkable difference in MS/MS spectra of DM-,-CD complexes of OA and UA. The peak corresponding to the neutral loss of a formic acid and a water molecule could only be observed in the MS/MS spectrum of the complex of DM-,-CD : OA. Molecular modeling calculations were also employed to further investigate the structural differences of DM-,-CD : OA and DM-,-CD : UA complexes. Therefore, by employing DM-,-CD as a reference reagent, OA and UA could be differentiated with purely MS method. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

The anti-arthritic effect of ursolic acid on zymosan-induced acute inflammation and adjuvant-induced chronic arthritis models

Apoptosis inducing activity of viscin, a lipophilic extract from Viscum album L.

JOURNAL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACOLOGY: AN INTERNATI ONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2005
K. Urech
Detection of antiproliferative activity and bioactivity-guided fractionation of viscin, a lipophilic extract from Viscum album L., led to the isolation of betulinic acid, oleanolic acid and ursolic acid as active components. Viscin, betulinic acid, oleanolic acid and ursolic acid inhibited growth and induced apoptotic cell death in Molt4, K562 and U937 leukaemia cells. The growth inhibitory effect of viscin was more pronounced in Molt4 and U937 cells (IC50 (concentration that inhibited cell proliferation by 50%): 118 ± 24 and 138 ± 24 ,g mL,1) than in K562 cells (IC50: 252 ± 37 ,g mL,1). Oleanolic acid was the least effective in all cell lines (7.5,45.5% inhibition at 10 ,g mL,1) and ursolic acid the most active in Molt4 and U937 cells (81.8 and 97.8% inhibition, respectively, at 5 ,g mL,1). A dose-dependent loss of membrane phospholipid asymmetry associated with apoptosis was induced in all cell lines as shown in flow cytometry by the externalization of phosphatidylserine and morphological changes in cell size and granularity. There were differences in individual cell lines' response towards the apoptosis-inducing effect of viscin, betulinic acid, oleanolic acid and ursolic acid. The triterpenoids ,-amyrin, ,-amyrinacetate, lupeol, lupeolacetate, ,-sitosterol and stigmasterol, and the fatty acids oleic acid, linoleic acid, palmitic acid and stearic acid were also present in the lipophilic extract. [source]

Hepatoprotective activity of Terminalia catappa L. leaves and its two triterpenoids

JOURNAL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACOLOGY: AN INTERNATI ONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCE, Issue 11 2004
Jing Gao
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the chloroform extract of Terminalia catappa L. leaves (TCCE) on carbon tetrachloride (CCI4)-induced acute liver damage and D-galactosamine (D-GaIN)-induced hepatocyte injury. Moreover, the effects of ursolic acid and asiatic acid, two isolated components of TCCE, on mitochondria and free radicals were investigated to determine the mechanism underlying the action of TCCE on hepatotoxicity. In the acute hepatic damage test, remarkable rises in the activity of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (5.7- and 2.0-fold) induced by CCI4 were reversed and significant morphological changes were lessened with pre-treatment with 50 and 100 mg kg,1 TCCE. In the hepatocyte injury experiment, the increases in ALT and AST levels (1.9- and 2.1-fold) in the medium of primary cultured hepatocytes induced by D-GaIN were blocked by pre-treatment with 0.05, 0.1, 0.5 gL,1 TCCE. In addition, Ca2+ -induced mitochondrial swelling was dose-dependently inhibited by 50,500 ,m ursolic acid and asiatic acid. Both ursolic acid and asiatic acid, at concentrations ranging from 50 to 500 ,m, showed dose-dependent superoxide anion and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity. It can be concluded that TCCE has hepatoprotective activity and the mechanism is related to protection of liver mitochondria and the scavenging action on free radicals. [source]

Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) pomace

JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 13 2007
Dániel Cossuta
Abstract BACKGROUND: The goal of this work was to utilize the sea buckthorn pomace, which is the by-product of a sea buckthorn juice process. Pilot plant supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) experiments were performed in a 5 × 10,3 m3 volume high-pressure vessel. The effects of pressure and temperature on extraction yield and recoveries of biologically active components were studied using a 32 full factorial design. The pressure and temperature were varied over the ranges of 30,46 MPa and 313,353 K, respectively. The extract samples were analysed by TLC-densitometry, UV/VIS spectrofotometry and HPLC methods. RESULTS: The obtained yields changed between 142,164 g kg,1, according to the solvent power of the supercritical fluid. The recoveries of the different minor components were (g minor components kg,1 dried raw material): 2.50,4.25 sitosterol, 0.20,1.60 ursolic acid, 0.04,0.18 carotenoid, 0.35,0.42 total tocopherol. CONCLUSION: By evaluation the designed experiments 46 MPa and 333 K were chosen as the optimum conditions. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry [source]

Complete assignments of 1H and 13C NMR resonances of oleanolic acid, 18,-oleanolic acid, ursolic acid and their 11-oxo derivatives

MAGNETIC RESONANCE IN CHEMISTRY, Issue 8 2003
Werner Seebacher
Abstract Complete assignments of 1H and 13C NMR chemical shifts for oleanolic acid, 18,-oleanolic acid, ursolic acid and their 11-oxo derivatives based on 1H, 13C, 2D DQF-COSY, NOESY, HSQC, HMBC and HSQC-TOCSY experiments were achieved. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Recent developments in anti-inflammatory natural products

MEDICINAL RESEARCH REVIEWS, Issue 5 2009
Raju Gautam
Abstract Many of the inflammatory diseases are becoming common in aging society throughout the world. The clinically used anti-inflammatory drugs suffer from the disadvantage of side effects and high cost of treatment (in case of biologics). Alternative to these drugs are traditional medicines and natural products, which offer a great hope in the identification of bioactive lead compounds and their development into drugs for treating inflammatory diseases. Since ancient times traditional medicines and phytopharmaceuticals are being used for the treatment of inflammatory and other disorders. The present review article describes anti-inflammatory natural products derived from plants and marine sources reported during last decade. The compounds described belong to different chemical classes such as alkaloids, steroids, terpenoids, polyphenolics, phenylpropanoids, fatty acids and lipids, and various miscellaneous compounds. The attempt is also being made to enumerate the possible leads, e.g. curcumin, resveratrol, baicalein, boswellic acid, betulinic acid, ursolic acid, and oleanolic acid, for further development with the help of structure,activity relationship (SAR) studies and their current status. In addition SAR studies carried out on the anti-inflammatory activity of flavonoid compounds and clinical studies performed on anti-inflammatory natural products are also discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Med Res Rev, 29, No. 5, 767,820, 2009 [source]

Ursolic acid and luteolin-7-glucoside improve lipid profiles and increase liver glycogen content through glycogen synthase kinase-3

Bioassay-guided fractionation of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) using an in vitro measure of GABA transaminase activity

PHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, Issue 8 2009
Rosalie Awad
Abstract A novel pharmacological mechanism of action for the anxiolytic botanical Melissa officinalis L. (lemon balm) is reported. The methanol extract was identified as a potent in vitro inhibitor of rat brain GABA transaminase (GABA-T), an enzyme target in the therapy of anxiety, epilepsy and related neurological disorders. Bioassay-guided fractionation led to the identification and isolation of rosmarinic acid (RA) and the triterpenoids, ursolic acid (UA) and oleanolic acid (OA) as active principles. Phytochemical characterization of the crude extract determined RA as the major compound responsible for activity (40% inhibition at 100 µg/mL) since it represented approximately 1.5% of the dry mass of the leaves. Synergistic effects may also play a role. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Determination of oleanolic acid, ursolic acid and amygdalin in the flower of Eriobotrya japonica Lindl. by HPLC

BIOMEDICAL CHROMATOGRAPHY, Issue 7 2007
Chunhua Zhou
Abstract Simple and accurate HPLC methods were developed for the determination of oleanolic acid (OA), ursolic acid (UA) and amygdalin in loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) flower, which is commonly used for the treatment of various diseases as a traditional Chinese medicine. HPLC assay was performed on a reversed-phase C18 column and all three compounds were detected at 210 nm with a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The mobile phase consisted of methanol (A) and 0.03 mol/L phosphate buffer (pH 2.8) (B) with a ratio of 88:12 (A:B, v/v) for simultaneous detection of OA and UA, and 25:75 (A:B, v/v) for detection of amygdalin. The established methods showed good precision and accuracy with overall intra-day and inter-day variation of 0.99,3.55 and 1.05,4.05%, respectively, and overall recoveries of 97.37,99.32% for the three compounds. Application of these methods to determine the OA, UA and amygdalin contents in loquat flower showed that cultivar had a minor effect on the contents of all three compounds, with average amounts of 0.38,0.51 mg OA/g dry weight (DW), 2.15,2.68 mg UA/g DW and 1.23,1.56 mg amygdalin/g DW among five loquat cultivars tested. However, developmental stages and flower tissues showed significant effect on the contents of all three bioactive components. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Gas phase isomeric differentiation of oleanolic and ursolic acids associated with heptakis-(2,6-di- O -methyl)-,-cyclodextrin by electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry