Betulinic acid and the pharmacological effects of tumor suppression (Review)

Zhang,Xia; Hu,Jingyu; Chen,Yan

doi:10.3892/mmr.2016.5792

Betulinic acid and the pharmacological effects of tumor suppression (Review)

Authors:
- Xia Zhang
- Jingyu Hu
- Yan Chen
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Affiliations: Department of Hematology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022, P.R. China
Published online on: October 4, 2016 https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2016.5792
Pages: 4489-4495

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Abstract

Betulinic acid (BA), a lupane-type pentacyclic triterpenoid saponin from tree bark, has the potential to induce the apoptosis of cancer cells without toxicity towards normal cells in vitro and in vivo. The antitumor pharmacological effects of BA consist of triggering apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway, regulating the cell cycle and the angiogenic pathway via factors, including specificity protein transcription factors, cyclin D1 and epidermal growth factor receptor, inhibiting the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 and nuclear factor‑κB signaling pathways, preventing the invasion and metastasis of tumor cells, and affecting the expression of topoisomerase I, p53 and lamin B1. In previous years, several studies have shown its antitumor effect, initially applied to malignant melanoma, however, it also has broad efficacies against most solid types of tumor from different regions of the body. There have been few investigations in hematological malignancies, however, this direction may offer potential in such a novel field of research. In this review, the primary pharmacological effects of BA in tumors, particularly in hematological malignancies are discussed.

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