Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 1, 2025

Author Spotlight: Exploring Salidroside's Molecular Mechanisms in Breast Cancer Treatment
11:13

Author Spotlight: Exploring Salidroside's Molecular Mechanisms in Breast Cancer Treatment

Published on: June 9, 2023

1.8K

Ursolic acid disturbs ROS homeostasis and regulates survival-associated gene expression to induce apoptosis in

Laxminarayan Rawat1, Vijayashree Nayak1

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, K.K. Birla Goa Campus, NH-17B, Zuarinagar, Goa, 403726, India.

Toxicology Research
|June 18, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Ursolic acid, a natural compound, exhibits significant anticancer and antimetastatic properties in intestinal cancer cells. It effectively inhibits cell growth, migration, and induces apoptosis, suggesting its potential as a complementary cancer therapy.

Area of Science:

  • Natural Products Chemistry
  • Cancer Biology
  • Molecular Oncology

Background:

  • Ursolic acid is a pentacyclic triterpenoid found in various plants.
  • It has demonstrated diverse pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.
  • Preliminary studies suggest potential anticancer effects, warranting further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the cytotoxic and antimetastatic effects of ursolic acid on intestinal cancer cell lines.
  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying ursolic acid's action, including apoptosis induction and gene expression modulation.
  • To evaluate the potential of ursolic acid as a complementary therapeutic agent for intestinal cancer.

Main Methods:

  • Treatment of INT-407 and HCT-116 intestinal cancer cell lines with varying concentrations of ursolic acid.
  • Assessment of cell viability, proliferation, and apoptosis induction.
  • Analysis of cell migration and invasion assays.
  • Quantitative real-time PCR to determine the gene expression levels of key markers involved in cell migration, survival, and apoptosis.

Main Results:

  • Ursolic acid significantly reduced cell growth and number in a dose- and time-dependent manner.
  • Increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were observed, leading to apoptosis induction.
  • Ursolic acid markedly inhibited cancer cell migration and downregulated the expression of migration markers (FN1, CDH2, CTNNB1, TWIST).
  • Gene expression analysis revealed downregulation of survival factors (BCL-2, SURVIVIN, NFKB, SP1) and upregulation of growth-restricting genes (BAX, P21, P53).

Conclusions:

  • Ursolic acid possesses significant anticancer and antimetastatic properties against intestinal cancer cell lines.
  • The compound induces apoptosis and inhibits cell migration through modulation of specific gene expression pathways.
  • Ursolic acid shows promise as a complementary therapeutic agent in intestinal cancer treatment.
Keywords:
NFKB, SP1herbal medicineintestinal cancerreactive oxygen speciesursolic acid

More Related Videos

Enhancement of Apoptotic and Autophagic Induction by a Novel Synthetic C-1 Analogue of 7-deoxypancratistatin in Human Breast Adenocarcinoma and Neuroblastoma Cells with Tamoxifen19:44

Enhancement of Apoptotic and Autophagic Induction by a Novel Synthetic C-1 Analogue of 7-deoxypancratistatin in Human Breast Adenocarcinoma and Neuroblastoma Cells with Tamoxifen

Published on: May 30, 2012

18.9K
Modeling Colitis-Associated Cancer with Azoxymethane AOM and Dextran Sulfate Sodium DSS12:37

Modeling Colitis-Associated Cancer with Azoxymethane AOM and Dextran Sulfate Sodium DSS

Published on: September 11, 2012

47.4K

Related Concept Videos

The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway01:31

The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

Internal cellular stress, such as cellular injury or hypoxia, triggers intrinsic apoptosis. The B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family of proteins are the primary regulators of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. For example, during DNA damage, checkpoint proteins, such as Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM protein) and Checkpoints Factor-2 (Chk2) proteins, are activated. These proteins phosphorylate p53 which further activates pro-apoptotic proteins, such as Bax, Bak, PUMA, and Noxa, and inhibits...
7.2K
Apoptosis01:30

Apoptosis

Apoptosis is a combination of two Greek words, 'apo' and 'ptosis,' meaning separation and falling off, respectively. Hippocrates used this word to describe gangrene, which was caused due to bandaging of fractured bones. Apoptosis was distinguished from necrosis in 1970 when John Kerr reported observations of morphological changes occurring during apoptosis. During one experiment, he observed that the disruption of blood supply to the liver tissue resulted in a size...
12.5K
Abnormal Proliferation02:23

Abnormal Proliferation

Under normal conditions, most adult cells remain in a non-proliferative state unless stimulated by internal or external factors to replace lost cells. Abnormal cell proliferation is a condition in which the cell's growth exceeds and is uncoordinated with normal cells. In such situations, cell division persists in the same excessive manner even after cessation of the stimuli, leading to persistent tumors. The tumor arises from the damaged cells that replicate to pass the damage to the...
4.8K
Cancer-Critical Genes II: Tumor Suppressor Genes01:05

Cancer-Critical Genes II: Tumor Suppressor Genes

Genes usually encode proteins necessary for the proper functioning of a healthy cell. Mutations can often cause changes to the gene expression pattern, thereby altering the phenotype.
When the function of certain critical genes, especially those involved in cell cycle regulation and cell growth signaling cascades, gets disrupted, it upsets the cell cycle progression. Such cells with unchecked cell cycles start proliferating uncontrollably and eventually develop into tumors.
Such genes that act...
8.4K
Loss of Tumor Suppressor Gene Functions01:12

Loss of Tumor Suppressor Gene Functions

Tumor suppressor genes are normal genes that can slow down cell division, repair DNA mistakes, or program the cells for apoptosis in case of irreparable damage. Hence, they play an essential role in preventing the proliferation of damaged cells.
When the tumor suppressor genes develop mutations or are lost, cells start growing out of control, leading to cancer. However, a single functional copy of the tumor suppressor gene is enough for the cells to maintain their normal functions and cell...
5.3K
Caspases01:24

Caspases

Caspase, a family of cysteine proteases, serve as effectors in apoptosis. The ced3 gene in C.elegans was first identified to be involved in apoptosis. This gene encodes the ced-3 caspase that is similar to the interleukin-1-beta converting enzyme or ICE in mammals. In addition to apoptosis, caspases also function in the inflammatory response. Inflammatory caspases are essential in activating pro-inflammatory cytokines that recruit immune cells and block the replication of pathogens inside...
12.9K