Related Experiment Videos
Ursolic acid is a PPAR-α agonist that regulates hepatic lipid metabolism
Yaoyao Jia1, Muhammad Javidul Haque Bhuiyan, Hee-Jin Jun
1Department of Biotechnology, Graduate School of Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul 136-713, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
In this study, we confirmed that ursolic acid, a plant triterpenoid, activates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-α in vitro. Surface plasmon resonance and time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer analyses do not show direct binding of ursolic acid to the ligand-binding domain of PPAR-α; however, ursolic acid enhances the binding of PPAR-α to the peroxisome proliferator response element in PPAR-α-responsive genes, alters the expression of key genes in lipid metabolism, significantly reducing intracellular triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations in hepatocytes. Thus, ursolic acid is a PPAR-α agonist that regulates the expression of lipid metabolism genes, but it is not a direct ligand of PPAR-α.
Related Concept Videos
Lipid-Lowering Drugs: Statins and Miscellaneous Agents
Transducer Mechanism: Nuclear Receptors
About 48 different soluble family members of nuclear receptors are identified that can be divided into two main classes:
Cholesterol: Significance and Regulation
Considering cholesterol and...
Atherosclerosis III: Management
Overview of Fatty Acid Metabolism
Fatty acids are catabolized in a process called beta-oxidation, which takes place in the matrix of the mitochondria and converts their fatty acid chains into two-carbon units of acetyl groups. The acetyl...
Lipid Catabolism