At present, scientists have detected the chemosensitizing effect of ursolic acid in animal models, and research reports have shown that ursolic acid exhibits significant chemosensitizing effects on a variety of cancer types. In addition, ursolic acid sensitizes the therapeutic drug capecitabine by inhibiting multiple biomarkers related to inflammation, proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, and metastasis, and has the potential to improve the efficacy of traditional drugs. Therefore, preclinical studies suggest that combining ursolic acid with other natural compounds, conventional drugs or radiation may be an effective combination for the treatment of cancer.
Fruits, vegetables, and herbs that are sources of ursolic acid are commonly consumed by humans and are considered safe. To date, no toxic effects associated with the use of ursolic acid have been identified in animal or human studies. In addition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Food and Safety Administration recommend that the specific composition of rosemary extract (one of the sources of ursolic acid) is safe for human health and for use as an antioxidant additive in food, which This suggests that UA has potential as an adjunct to cancer therapy.
Many experimental systems have reported that UA has various biochemical and pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-proliferative, anti-cancer, anti-mutation, anti-atherosclerosis, anti-hypertensive, anti-leukemia and anti-virus; UA can not only enhance cancer The chemosensitivity of cells can also enhance the effects of other chemotherapeutic agents on liver injury, glucose intolerance and insulin resistance, acne vulgaris, hyperlipidemia, biofilm formation, myocyte differentiation, depression and neurodegenerative diseases. Although some clinical studies have confirmed the safety and efficacy of ursolic acid, more clinical studies with more and more patients are still needed to validate the existing findings.
Therefore, the use of new and safe drugs, such as ursolic acid, in conjunction with the original chemotherapy drugs, reduces the burden on patients, reduces the side effects of chemotherapy, increases the efficacy of drugs, prolongs the life and quality of life of cancer patients, and is also very important for the prognosis of cancer treatment. .
Although ursolic acid has no firm evidence so far in cancer treatment, as a natural ingredient from food sources, both in vitro and in vivo studies have shown antitumor potential, and it may be used as a safe adjunct drug for research.
