No abstract

The effects of oleanolic acid (OA) and ursolic acid (UA) on the fluidity and stability of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) liposomal membrane were monitored by measuring the fluorescence polarization of 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene labeled in the liposomal membrane and the leakage of calcein from the probe-encapsulated liposomes. The experiments with the liposomes made of DPPC and OA or UA showed that OA and UA exhibited a moderate fluidity-modulating effect for the liquid-crystalline liposomal membrane, and a strong condensing effect for both crystalline and liquid-crystalline liposomal membranes. Their effects were comparable to those of cholesterol. These results suggest that their fluidity-modulating and condensing effects might have some implications in their biological functions.

Solubilities of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid in aqueous surfactant solutions, liquid polyethylene glycols (PEG), and solvents of various polarity were measured. The results showed that the solutes were slightly or moderately solubilized in the surfactant solutions and the liquid PEGs. It was also revealed that the solutes were slightly soluble in the solvent of either extreme polarity or nonpolarity, but moderately soluble in solvents of intermediate polarity of which solubility parameters are around 10. The solubility parameters of these solutes were calculated from the group contribution to be 10.2 for both of them. Of the solvents tested, tetramethylurea was exceptionally effective in solubilizing the solutes. The solutes were also moderately soluble in the aqueous cosolvents, containing tetramethylurea. This suggests that the mixed systems of tetramethylurea could be employed for the solubilization in the formulation of these compounds as an aqueous system.

No abstract