• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
• /
• v.5 no.1
• /
• pp.69-79
• /
• 1974

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.315-319
• /
• 2009

In present study evaluate the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity of the compound obtained from the petroleum ether (40 - 60$^{\circ}C$) extract of the fruits from Dregea volubilis in Swiss albino mice and in Wister albino rats respectively. Dried and crushed fruits of Dregea volubilis were extracted by petroleum ether (40 - 60$^{\circ}C$), the proper solvent system was developed by TLC and subjected to column chromatography for obtaining the pure compound/s. IR, MASS, NMR (PMR, C13 NMR and DEPT) spectroscopic analysis were done to elucidate the structure of the compound/s. The petroleum ether (40 - 60$^{\circ}C$) extract of the fruits of Dregea volubilis led to isolation of a pentacyclic triterpenoid designated as taraxerone and characterized as D- friedoolean- 14- en, 3 one. Taraxerone had been screened for analgesic activity in Swiss albino mice and anti-inflammatory activity in Wister albino rats at the dose of 5 mg/kg body weight orally and exhibit significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.

• Proceedings of the SCSK Conference
• /
• 2003.09b
• /
• pp.319-329
• /
• 2003

Ursolic acid (UA) and oleanolic acid (OA) are pentacyclic triterpenoids which are widely distributed in plants, and their derivatives are aglycones of many naturally occurring saponins. It is known that pentacyclic acids may possibly enhance the mechanical barrier functions of cell membranes in plants. Recently, it has been reported that OA and UA have interesting biological activities on skin, such as anti-inflammatory and anti-wrinkle activities. Since triterpenoids are extremely insoluble and their solubility problem limits skin-care application, OA and UA were encapsulated in liposomes via micelle-to-vesicle transition to overcome poorly soluble property and enhance biological efficacy. Optimal molar ratio of OA to lecithin was found to exist for producing liposomes of small hydrodynamic size and liposomal suspensions without recrystallized precipitation of OA. From electron micrograph and dynamic light scattering studies, reconstituted OA-containing liposomes without severe mechanical treatment showed small hydrodynamic size about 150 nm. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction coupled with dynamic light scattering revealed that optimal amount of OA in liposome was 25.4 mole %. In biological evaluation, OA-containing liposome significantly increased filaggrin and transglutaminase as markers of keratinocyte differentiation in epidermal layer of hairless mouse, whereas ursolic acid-containing liposome did not show noticeable increase of filaggrin and transglutaminase compared to empty liposome. It is concluded that nano-scaled liposomes containing triterpenoids were spontaneously prepared by vesicular transition from mixed micelle and liposomal triterpenoids can enhance skin absorption of triterpenoid and biological efficacy.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.14 no.5
• /
• pp.1086-1088
• /
• 2004

Betulin, a pentacyclic triterpenoid isolated from the bark of Betula papyrifera. Laboratory synthesized structural analogs were tested for antiviral activities against Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) by immunofluorescent antiviral assay. Among the several analogs tested, betulin 3,28-diphosphate and uvaol exhibited significant antiviral activities against EBV. The $EC_{50}$ of betulin 3,28-diphosphate and uvaol was found to be $0.6\mu{M}$ and $0.7\mu{M}$ respectively.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.25 no.5
• /
• pp.658-661
• /
• 2015

Genes encoding enzymes with sequence similarity to hopanoids biosynthetic enzymes of other organisms were cloned from the hopanoid (hop) gene cluster of Streptomyces peucetius ATCC 27952 and transformed into Streptomyces venezuelae YJ028. The cloned fragments contained four genes, all transcribed in one direction. These genes encode polypeptides that resemble polyprenyl diphosphate synthase (hopD), squalene-phytoene synthases (hopAB), and squalene-hopene cyclase (hopE). These enzymes are sufficient for the formation of the pentacyclic triterpenoid lipid, hopene. The formation of hopene was verified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
• /
• v.67 no.4
• /
• pp.335-341
• /
• 2022

Proso millet (Pacnicum miliaceum L.) has a various of functional substances, so the demand is increasing as interest in human health benefits. In particular, miliacin, a triterpenoid in proso millet, is known to be effective in hair loss due to its promoting metabolism and proliferation of keratinocytes and showing protective effects from apoptosis. In this study, proso millet oil was extracted and analyzed by GC/MS using the extraction method of unsaponifiable substances after saponification reaction. The components of proso millet oil were confirmed through qualitative analysis by GC/MS. The miliacin content of 5 varieties of proso millet and 2 varieties of foxtail for comparison was analyzed. In the result, components of pentacyclic triterpenes such as β-amyrine and lupeol were detected in proso millet, and the content of miliacin was highest in Hallachal at 370.38±0.04 ㎍/100 mg oil. In addition, the content of miliacin was not detected in Samdachal and Samdamae, which are varieties of foxtail millet.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
• /
• v.52 no.1
• /
• pp.37-42
• /
• 2008

Betulinic acid, a naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpenoid, is found in abundance in the outer bark of white birch (Betula alba). In this study, we investigated if betulinic acid affects cytokine expression from activated macrophage cells. ELISA result showed that stimulation of HL-60 cells with proinflammatory cytokine such as $TNF-{\alpha}$ resulted in MCP-1 release into culture medium. In addition, transcriptional upregulation of MCP-1 in response to $TNF-{\alpha}$ was observed by RT-PCR analysis. However, incubation of HL-60 cells with betulinic acid prior to $TNF-{\alpha}$ treatment abrogated MCP-1 expression in transcription and translational level. Consistent with a number of studies which reported requirement of ERK activation for $TNF-{\alpha}$ expression, Western blot analysis showed that $TNF-{\alpha}-induced$ ERK activation was suppressed by pretreatment of HL-60 cells with betulinic acid. Taken together, our data indicate that betulinic acid exerts its anti-inflammatory effect through inhibition of $TNF-{\alpha}-induced$ ERK activation which is required for the subsequent MCP-1 release.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.254-259
• /
• 2014

The pentacyclic triterpenoid ursolic acid (UA) and its isomer oleanolic acid (OA) are ubiquitous in food and plant medicine, and thus are easily exposed to the population through natural contact or intentional use. Although they have diverse health benefits, reported cardiovascular protective activity is contentious. In this study, the effect of UA and OA on platelet aggregation was examined on the basis that alteration of platelet activity is a potential process contributing to cardiovascular events. Treatment of UA enhanced platelet aggregation induced by thrombin or ADP, which was concentration-dependent in a range of $5-50{\mu}M$. Quite comparable results were obtained with OA, in which OA-treated platelets also exhibited an exaggerated response to either thrombin or ADP. UA treatment potentiated aggregation of whole blood, while OA failed to increase aggregation by thrombin. UA and OA did not affect plasma coagulation assessed by measuring prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time. These results indicate that both UA and OA are capable of making platelets susceptible to aggregatory stimuli, and platelets rather than clotting factors are the primary target of them in proaggregatory activity. These compounds need to be used with caution, especially in the population with a predisposition to cardiovascular events.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.55-63
• /
• 2022

Oleanolic acid (OA), a natural pentacyclic triterpenoid, has been reported to exert protective effects against several neurological diseases through its anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the therapeutic potential of OA against acute and chronic brain injuries after ischemic stroke using a mouse model of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO, MCAO/reperfusion). OA administration immediately after reperfusion significantly attenuated acute brain injuries including brain infarction, functional neurological deficits, and neuronal apoptosis. Moreover, delayed administration of OA (at 3 h after reperfusion) attenuated brain infarction and improved functional neurological deficits during the acute phase. Such neuroprotective effects were associated with attenuation of microglial activation and lipid peroxidation in the injured brain after the tMCAO challenge. OA also attenuated NLRP3 inflammasome activation in activated microglia during the acute phase. In addition, daily administration of OA for 7 days starting from either immediately after reperfusion or 1 day after reperfusion significantly improved functional neurological deficits and attenuated brain tissue loss up to 21 days after the tMCAO challenge; these findings supported therapeutic effects of OA against ischemic stroke-induced chronic brain injury. Together, these findings showed that OA exerted neuroprotective effects against both acute and chronic brain injuries after tMCAO challenge, suggesting that OA is a potential therapeutic agent to treat ischemic stroke.

• Proceedings of the SCSK Conference
• /
• 2003.09b
• /
• pp.108-109
• /
• 2003

Ursolic acid (UA) and Oleanolic acid (ONA), known as urson, micromerol, prunol and malol, are pentacyclic triterpenoid compounds which naturally occur in a large number of vegetarian foods, medicinal herbs, and plants. They may occur in their free acid form or as aglycones for triterpenoid saponins, which are comprised of a triterpenoid aglycone, linked to one or more sugar moieties. Therefore UA and ON A are similar in pharmacological activity. Lately scientific research, which led to the identification of UA and ONA, revealed that several pharmacological effects, such as antitumor, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anti-hyperlipidemic could be attributed to UA and ONA. Here, we introduced the effects of UA and ONA on acute barrier disruption and normal epidermal permeability barrier function. To clarify the effects of UA and ONA on skin barrier recovery, both flank skin of 8-12 weeks hairless mice were topically treated with samples (2mg/ml) after tape stripping, then measured recovery rate using TEWL on hairless mice. The recovery rate increased in UA and ONA treated groups at 6h more than 20% compared to vehicle treated group (p <0.05). For verifying the effects of UA and ONA on normal epidermal barrier, hydration and TEWL were measured for 1 and 3 weeks after UA and ONA applications (2mg/ml per day). We also investigated the features of epidermis and dermis using electron microscopy (EM) and light microscopy (LM). Both samples increased hydration compared to Vehicle group from 1 week without TEWL alteration (p<0.005). EM examination using Ru04 and OsO4 fixation revealed that secretion and numbers of lamellar bodies and complete formation of lipid bilayers were most prominent (ONA$\geq$UA>Vehicle). LM finding showed that stratum corneum was slightly increased and especially epidermal thickening and flattening was observed (UA>ONA>Vehicle). Using Masson-trichrome and elastic fiber staining, we observed collagen thickening and elastic fiber increasing by UA and ONA treatments. In vitro results of collagen and elastin synthesis and elastase inhibitory experiments were also confirmed in vivo findings. This result suggested that the effects of UA and ONA related to not only skin barrier but also collagen and elastic fibers. Taken together, UA and ONA can be relevant candidates to improve barrier function and pertinent agents for cosmetic applications.