State-of-the-Art and Opportunities for Bioactive Pentacyclic Triterpenes from Native Mexican Plants

Abstract

Native Mexican plants are a wide source of bioactive compounds such as pentacyclic triterpenes. Pentacyclic triterpenes biosynthesized through the mevalonate (MVA) and the 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol-phosphate (MEP) metabolic pathways are highlighted by their diverse biological activity. Compounds belonging to the oleanane, ursane, and lupane groups have been identified in about 33 Mexican plants, located geographically in the southwest of Mexico. The works addressing these findings have reported 45 compounds that mainly show antimicrobial activity, followed by anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, anxiolytic, hypoglycemic, and growth-stimulating or allelopathic activities. Extraction by maceration and Soxhlet with organic solvents and consecutive chromatography of silica gel have been used for their whole or partial purification. Nanoparticles and nanoemulsions are the vehicles used in Mexican formulations for drug delivery of the pentacyclic triterpenes until now. Sustainable extraction, formulation, regulation, isolation, characterization, and bioassay facilities are areas of opportunity in pentacyclic triterpenes research in Mexico while the presence of plant and human resources and traditional knowledge are strengths. The present review discusses the generalities of the pentacyclic triterpene (definition, biogenic classification, and biosynthesis), a summary of the last two decades of research on the compounds identified and their evaluated bioactivity, the generalities about the extraction and purification methods used, drug delivery aspects, and a critical analysis of the advantages and limitations of research carried out in this way.

Lupane Triterpene Derivatives Improve Antiproliferative Effect on Leukemia Cells through Apoptosis Induction

“…Attempts to address these drawbacks include derivatives produced by attachment of fragments capable of enhancing both properties (e.g., heterocyclic scaffolds) [ 15 ] and implementation of delocalized lipophilic cationic compounds such as Rho123, F16, and MKT-077 [ 16 ]. Other approaches for improving triterpene solubility and bioavailability and drug delivery systems include liposomes, emulsions, nanoparticles, and cyclodextrin-drug complexes; their application increases the possibility of using natural native (or naturally occurring) triterpenes or derivatives with minor modifications [ 17 , 18 ].…”