Ursolic Acid's Alluring Journey: One Triterpenoid vs. Cancer Hallmarks.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Natural Product Chemistry
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Cancer is a complex disease with multiple hallmarks, often inadequately addressed by traditional single-target therapies.
• Drug resistance and limited efficacy necessitate novel therapeutic strategies targeting multiple cancer hallmarks simultaneously.
• Ursolic acid (UA), a natural pentacyclic triterpenoid, has emerged as a potential candidate for multitargeted cancer treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and summarize the current understanding of ursolic acid's anticancer properties.
• To focus on UA's capacity to modulate diverse cancer hallmarks.
• To discuss the molecular targets and signaling pathways underlying UA's anticancer effects.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature review of studies investigating ursolic acid's anticancer activities.
• Analysis of research detailing UA's impact on cancer hallmarks such as proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and metastasis.
• Examination of molecular targets and signaling pathways (e.g., PI3K/Akt, MAPK/ERK, NF-κB, Wnt/β-catenin) modulated by UA.

Main Results:

• Ursolic acid demonstrates potent anticancer effects across various cancer types (breast, lung, prostate, colon, liver).
• UA inhibits key cancer hallmarks, including cell proliferation, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis, while inducing apoptosis.
• UA modulates critical signaling pathways involved in cancer progression and exhibits multitargeted mechanisms like apoptosis and autophagy induction.

Conclusions:

• Ursolic acid is a promising natural compound for multitargeted cancer therapy due to its broad activity against cancer hallmarks.
• UA's efficacy stems from its ability to interfere with multiple cancer-driving pathways and cellular processes.
• Low bioavailability of UA presents a challenge, highlighting the need for strategies to enhance its therapeutic potential.