Targeting Cancer by Betulin and Betulinic Acid

Csuk, René

doi:10.1007/978-94-007-4917-7_11

Novel Apoptotic Regulators in Carcinogenesis 2012

DOI: 10.1007/978-94-007-4917-7_11

|View full text |Cite

Targeting Cancer by Betulin and Betulinic Acid

René Csuk

Help me understand this report

Search citation statements

Order By: Relevance

Paper Sections

Select...

Citation Types

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Year Published

2021

Publication Types

Select...

Article1

Relationship

Self Cite0

Independent1

Authors

Journals

Cited by 1 publication

References 184 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

High cytotoxicity of betulin towards fish and murine fibroblasts: Is betulin safe for nonneoplastic cells?

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Betulin, a natural pentacyclic triterpene with the lupane structure that is present in significant amounts in the outer bark of birch, is known for its broad array of biological and pharmacological properties. Betulin has attracted attention as a potential, natural-origin antimicrobial substance. The literature describes it as selectively toxic to neoplastic cells but safe for normal cells. The research aim was to evaluate the basal cytotoxicity of betulin towards fish (BF-2) and murine (NIH/3T3) fibroblasts. We used four colorimetric tests that provide a preliminary evaluation of possible mechanisms of the cytotoxicity of a compound to assess the degree of the toxicity of betulin after 24, 48 and 72 h of incubation with cells: the MTT assay (mitochondrial activity assessment), the NRU assay (lysosomal membrane integrity assessment), the LDH assay (cellular membrane integrity assessment) and the SRB assay (total cellular protein content determination). Results The results revealed an exceptionally high sensitivity of mitochondria to the effect of betulin, with the other endpoints being less sensitive. Although murine fibroblasts were more vulnerable to the toxic effect of betulin than fish fibroblasts, the betulin CC50 values for both cell lines were comparable with analogous IC50 values determined by other researchers in studies involving cancerous cells. Conclusions The results indicate the need to verify the claim about the selective toxicity of betulin towards malignant cells and to conduct safety/toxicity tests before any potential therapeutic use of betulin in veterinary medicine.

show abstract

High cytotoxicity of betulin towards fish and murine fibroblasts: Is betulin safe for nonneoplastic cells?

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.

Contact Info

customersupport@researchsolutions.com

10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614

Henderson, NV 89052, USA

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Blog Terms and Conditions API Terms Privacy Policy Contact Cookie Preferences Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Made with 💙 for researchers

Part of the Research Solutions Family.

Targeting Cancer by Betulin and Betulinic Acid

Cited by 1 publication

References 184 publications

High cytotoxicity of betulin towards fish and murine fibroblasts: Is betulin safe for nonneoplastic cells?

High cytotoxicity of betulin towards fish and murine fibroblasts: Is betulin safe for nonneoplastic cells?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About