Abstract
Plants have been used as drugs to treat human disease for centuries. Ursonic acid (UNA) is a naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpenoid extracted from certain medicinal herbs such as Ziziphus jujuba. Since the pharmacological effects and associated mechanisms of UNA are not well-known, in this work, we attempt to introduce the therapeutic potential of UNA with a comparison to ursolic acid (ULA), a well-known secondary metabolite, for beneficial effects. UNA has a keto group at the C-3 position, which may provide a critical difference for the varied biological activities between UNA and ULA. Several studies previously showed that UNA exerts pharmaceutical effects similar to, or stronger than, ULA, with UNA significantly decreasing the survival and proliferation of various types of cancer cells. UNA has potential to exert inhibitory effects in parasitic protozoa that cause several tropical diseases. UNA also exerts other potential effects, including antihyperglycemic, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antioxidant activities. Of note, a recent study highlighted the suppressive potential of UNA against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Molecular modifications of UNA may enhance bioavailability, which is crucial for in vivo and clinical studies. In conclusion, UNA has promising potential to be developed in anticancer and antiprotozoan pharmaceuticals. In-depth investigations may increase the possibility of UNA being developed as a novel reagent for chemotherapy.
Highlights
Plants have long been used to create or obtain medicines to treat a variety of diseases [1]
We focus on the sanative effects and related cellular mechanisms of Ursonic acid (UNA)
ursolic acid (ULA) and UNA commonly belong to ursane-type triterpenoids and their basic structures are characterized by five rings, a double bond between C-12 and C-13, and a carboxyl group at the C-28 position, as confirmed by previous NMR studies [18]
Summary
Plants have long been used to create or obtain medicines to treat a variety of diseases [1]. The main roles of plant secondary metabolites are defense from enemies (herbivores, microbes, and other competing plants) and transduction of signals to enhance reproduction, these natural products are beneficial for humans in terms of treatment of numerous human diseases through regulation of cell metabolism. These mechanisms of therapeutic activities of secondary metabolites include modulation of ion channels, neuroreceptors, enzymatic activity, and cytoskeleton assembly [3,4]. To search the articles regarding UNA and its therapeutic potential, we used PubMed and Google Scholar as databases. Duplicates and unrelated articles were excluded, and 41 papers were selected for references in regard to UNA
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
