The Anticancer Potential of Maslinic Acid and Its Derivatives: A Review

Abstract

Cancer is still an insurmountable problem for humans and critically attacking human health. In recent years, natural products have gained increasing attention in the field of anti-tumor due to their extensive sources and minimal side effects. Maslinic acid (MA), a pentacyclic triterpene acid mainly derived from the olive tree (Olea europaea L.) has been confirmed to possess great anti-cancer effects. This paper reviewed the inhibitory effect of MA and its derivatives on lung cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer, gastric cancer, lymphatic, leukemia, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, melanoma, prostate cancer, renal cell carcinoma, gallbladder cancer, and bladder cancer, among others. MA inhibited the proliferation of various tumor cells and showed lower IC 50 values in melanoma 518A2 cells and gastric cancer MKN28 cells compared with other cell lines. A series of semi-synthetic derivatives obtained by modifying MA chemical structure have been shown to have high cytotoxicity to human tumor cell lines, but low cytotoxicity to nonmalignant cells, which is conducive to developing its potential as a chemotherapeutic agent. These studies suggest that MA derivatives have broad prospects in the development of antitumor therapeutics in the future and warrant further study.

Sitotoksisitas dan Selektivitas Fraksi Kayu Batang Simpur Air (Dillenia suffruticosa (Griff.) Martelli) Terhadap Sel Kanker Payudara

“…Salah satu senyawa triterpenoid yang berhasil diisolasi dari akar simpur air yaitu asam 3-epimaslinic (Tor et al, 2015). Asam maslinic diketahui memiliki aktivitas antikanker terhadap sel kanker payudara MCF-7 dengan menghambat proliferasi sel (Yu et al, 2021). Pada fraksi etil asetat senyawa yang diyakini bertanggung jawab terhadap sifat sitotoksik merupakan senyawa yang bersifat polar.…”

Conjugation of Triterpenic Acids of Ursane and Oleanane Types with Mitochondria-Targeting Cation F16 Synergistically Enhanced Their Cytotoxicity against Tumor Cells

“…Natural pentacyclic triterpenic acids of the ursane and oleanane series, including oleanolic, ursolic, maslinic, and corosolic acids, are widely found in the plant kingdom ( Figure 1 ) [ 1 , 2 ]. These secondary plant metabolites exhibit a diverse range of biological properties, with their cytotoxic activity and capacity to initiate the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis in various tumor cells being of particular interest [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. For instance, oleanolic acid induces apoptosis in non-small lung cancer cell lines, even in the presence of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins, and reduces metastasis in vivo in the B16F10 melanoma model [ 7 ].…”

“…Numerous preclinical studies have confirmed the therapeutic potential of maslinic acid and its semi-synthetic derivatives in various tumor types, demonstrating this triterpenoid’s ability to inhibit proliferation, stimulate apoptosis, and obstruct cancer cell angiogenesis [ 8 , 9 ]. Corosolic acid effectively triggers apoptosis in HeLa cervical adenocarcinoma and human prostate cancer (PC-3 and DU145 lines) while exhibiting low toxicity to normal cells and tissues [ 10 , 11 ].…”

Biological Effects of Maslinic Acid on Human Epithelial Cells Used in Tissue Engineering

“…One of the relevant components present in the olive oil extract is maslinic acid (MA), a pentacyclic triterpene present in skins and seeds of olive fruits, that is extracted in the pomace oil ( Mokhtari et al, 2015 ). MA has demonstrated health benefits derived from its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, hepato-protective and anticancer properties ( Sánchez-Quesada et al, 2013 ; Lozano-Mena et al, 2014 ; Jing et al, 2021 ), and this molecule could influence cell physiology in a dose-dependent manner ( Yu et al, 2021 ). However, to our best knowledge, it potential effect for the stimulation of human skin keratinocyte cell cultures growth has not been described to the date.…”