Ursolic acid Cancer Research Results

UA, Ursolic acid: Click to Expand ⟱

Features:

Natural compound found in apples and rosemary.
Ursolic acid (UA) is a pentacyclic triterpenoid found in many plants (notably apple peel, rosemary, thyme, holy basil, and other herbs). In cancer models it is best described as a multi-target signaling modulator with prominent effects on NF-κB inflammation/survival transcription, STAT3, PI3K/AKT/mTOR, and MAPK pathways, with downstream outcomes including cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis, anti-angiogenesis, and reduced invasion/EMT. A practical translational constraint is poor aqueous solubility and low oral bioavailability, so many strong in-vitro µM effects may not map cleanly to typical oral exposure without formulation.

Rank	Pathway / Axis	Cancer Cells	Normal Cells	TSF	Primary Effect	Notes / Interpretation
1	NF-κB inflammatory / survival transcription	NF-κB ↓; COX-2/iNOS/cytokines/Bcl-2 family/MMPs ↓ (reported)	Inflammation tone ↓ (context)	R, G	Anti-inflammatory + anti-survival transcription	One of the most frequently reported UA effects across tumor models; downstream impacts include reduced pro-survival and pro-metastatic gene programs.
2	STAT3 axis (JAK/STAT3 signaling)	STAT3 activity ↓ (reported); downstream targets ↓	↔	R, G	Oncogenic transcription suppression	UA is often reported to suppress STAT3 signaling, contributing to reduced proliferation/survival signaling.
3	PI3K → AKT (± mTOR) survival axis	PI3K/AKT ↓; mTORC1 tone ↓ (reported; model-dependent)	↔	R, G	Growth/survival modulation	Commonly listed mechanism; direction and strength vary by cell line and exposure.
4	MAPK re-wiring (ERK / JNK / p38)	Stress-MAPK modulation (context-dependent)	↔	P, R, G	Signal reprogramming	JNK/p38 activation and ERK modulation are reported variably; avoid fixed arrows unless tied to a specific model.
5	Cell-cycle checkpoints (Cyclins/CDKs; p21/p27)	Cell-cycle arrest ↑ (G1/S or G2/M; reported); Cyclin D1/CDKs ↓ (context)	↔	G	Cytostasis	Often downstream of NF-κB/STAT3/PI3K signaling suppression.
6	Intrinsic apoptosis (mitochondrial/caspase linked)	Apoptosis ↑; Bax ↑; Bcl-2 ↓; caspases ↑ (reported)	↔ (generally less activation)	G	Cell death execution	Common downstream endpoint; can be coupled to stress signaling and survival pathway suppression.
7	Angiogenesis signaling (VEGF / HIF-1α outputs)	VEGF ↓; angiogenic outputs ↓ (reported)	↔	G	Anti-angiogenic support	Typically phenotype-level effects tied to NF-κB/PI3K/HIF programs.
8	Invasion / metastasis programs (MMPs / EMT)	MMP2/MMP9 ↓; EMT markers ↓; migration/invasion ↓ (reported)	↔	G	Anti-invasive phenotype	Often downstream of NF-κB/STAT3 changes; not universal across all tumors.
9	ROS / redox modulation	ROS direction variable; redox stress or buffering reported (context)	Oxidative injury ↓ in some non-tumor stress models	P, R, G	Stress modulation	UA is not a reliable “pro-oxidant killer”; redox effects depend on dose, model, and baseline oxidative state.
10	Bioavailability / formulation constraint	Systemic exposure often limited (poor solubility)	—	—	Translation constraint	UA is highly lipophilic with poor aqueous solubility; many formulations (e.g., nanoparticles, phospholipid complexes) are explored to improve exposure.

Time-Scale Flag (TSF): P / R / G

P: 0–30 min (rapid signaling interactions)
R: 30 min–3 hr (acute stress-response + transcription signaling shifts)
G: >3 hr (gene-regulatory adaptation and phenotype-level outcomes)

Scientific Papers found: Click to Expand⟱

2703-

BBR,

CUR,

SFN,

UA,

GamB

Naturally occurring anti-cancer agents targeting EZH2

Review,

Var,

"highlight2" >EZH2↓,

15-

CUR,

UA,

Effects of curcumin and ursolic acid in prostate cancer: A systematic review

Review,

Pca,

"highlight2" >NF-kB↝, "highlight2" >Akt↝, "highlight2" >AR↝, "highlight2" >Apoptosis↝, "highlight2" >Bcl-2↝, "highlight2" >Casp3↝, "highlight2" >BAX↝, "highlight2" >P21↝, "highlight2" >ROS↝, "highlight2" >Bcl-xL↝, "highlight2" >JNK↝, "highlight2" >MMP2↝, "highlight2" >P53↝, "highlight2" >PSA↝, "highlight2" >VEGF↝, "highlight2" >COX2↝, "highlight2" >cycD1/CCND1↝, "highlight2" >EGFR↝, "highlight2" >IL6↝, "highlight2" >β-catenin/ZEB1↝, "highlight2" >mTOR↝, "highlight2" >NRF2↝, "highlight2" >AP-1↝, "highlight2" >Cyt‑c↝, "highlight2" >PI3K↝, "highlight2" >PTEN↝, "highlight2" >Cyc↝, "highlight2" >TNF-α↝,

3788-

UA,

RosA,

Ursolic acid and rosmarinic acid ameliorate alterations in hippocampal neurogenesis and social memory induced by amyloid beta in mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease

in-vivo,

AD,

male BALB/c mice

"highlight2" >*neuroP↑, "highlight2" >*Aβ↓, "highlight2" >*p‑tau↓, "highlight2" >*memory↑, "highlight2" >*Inflam↓, "highlight2" >*ROS↓,

5023-

UA,

CA,

RosA,

Therapeutic Effect of Rosemary and Its Active Constituent on Nervous System Disorders

Review,

Park,

Review,

AD,

"highlight2" >*memory↑, "highlight2" >*cognitive↑, "highlight2" >*ROS↓,

5022-

UA,

Ursolic Acid’s Alluring Journey: One Triterpenoid vs. Cancer Hallmarks

Review,

Var,

"highlight2" >TumCP↓, "highlight2" >Apoptosis↑, "highlight2" >angioG↑, "highlight2" >TumMeta↓, "highlight2" >BioAv↓, "highlight2" >Hif1a↓, "highlight2" >Glycolysis↓, "highlight2" >mitResp↓, "highlight2" >Akt↓, "highlight2" >MAPK↓, "highlight2" >ERK↓, "highlight2" >mTOR↓, "highlight2" >P53↑, "highlight2" >P21↑, "highlight2" >E2Fs↑, "highlight2" >STAT3↓, "highlight2" >MMP↓, "highlight2" >NLRP3↓, "highlight2" >iNOS↓, "highlight2" >CHK1↓, "highlight2" >Chk2↓, "highlight2" >BRCA1↓, "highlight2" >E-cadherin↑, "highlight2" >N-cadherin↓, "highlight2" >Casp↑, "highlight2" >p62↓, "highlight2" >LC3II↑, "highlight2" >Vim↓, "highlight2" >ROS↑, "highlight2" >CSCs↓, "highlight2" >DNAdam↑, "highlight2" >GutMicro↑, "highlight2" >VEGF↓,

5021-

UA,

Anticancer effect of ursolic acid via mitochondria-dependent pathways

Review,

Var,

"highlight2" >Inflam↓, "highlight2" >TNF-α↓, "highlight2" >IL6↓, "highlight2" >IL17↓, "highlight2" >NF-kB↓, "highlight2" >COX2↓, "highlight2" >*AntiDiabetic↑, "highlight2" >*hepatoP↑, "highlight2" >ALAT↓, "highlight2" >AST↓, "highlight2" >TumCP↓, "highlight2" >Apoptosis↑, "highlight2" >TumCCA↑, "highlight2" >TumAuto↑, "highlight2" >tumCV↓, "highlight2" >TumCMig↓, "highlight2" >Glycolysis↓, "highlight2" >ATP↓, "highlight2" >lactateProd↓, "highlight2" >HK2↓, "highlight2" >PKA↓, "highlight2" >COX2↓, "highlight2" >mtDam↑, "highlight2" >Casp3↑, "highlight2" >Casp8↑, "highlight2" >Casp9↑, "highlight2" >Akt↓, "highlight2" >ROS↑, "highlight2" >MMP↓, "highlight2" >P53↑,

5020-

UA,

Anticancer activity of ursolic acid on human ovarian cancer cells via ROS and MMP mediated apoptosis, cell cycle arrest and downregulation of PI3K/AKT pathway

in-vitro,

Ovarian,

 IC50 of 35 µM in cancer cells and IC50 of 75 µM in normal cell lines

"highlight2" >tumCV↓, "highlight2" >selectivity↑, "highlight2" >BAX↑, "highlight2" >Bcl-2↓, "highlight2" >Apoptosis↑, "highlight2" >ROS↑, "highlight2" >TumCCA↑, "highlight2" >Akt↓, "highlight2" >PI3K↓,

5019-

UA,

Ursolic acid in colorectal cancer: mechanisms, current status, challenges, and future research directions

Review,

Var,

"highlight2" >TumCP↓, "highlight2" >Diff↑, "highlight2" >Apoptosis↑, "highlight2" >TumCI↓, "highlight2" >angioG↓,

5018-

UA,

Ursolic acid in cancer prevention and treatment: Molecular targets, pharmacokinetics and clinical studies

Review,

Var,

"highlight2" >Inflam↓, "highlight2" >TumCCA↑, "highlight2" >chemoPv↑, "highlight2" >TumMeta↓, "highlight2" >antiOx↑, "highlight2" >AntiViral↑, "highlight2" >AntiDiabetic↑,

5017-

UA,

Ursolic acid disturbs ROS homeostasis and regulates survival-associated gene expression to induce apoptosis in intestinal cancer cells

in-vitro,

Cerv,

INT-407

34.7 μM

in-vitro,

CRC,

HCT116

"highlight2" >AntiCan↑, "highlight2" >TumCG↓, "highlight2" >ROS↑, "highlight2" >Apoptosis↑, "highlight2" >TumCMig↓, "highlight2" >CTNNB1↓, "highlight2" >Twist↓, "highlight2" >Bcl-2↓, "highlight2" >survivin↓, "highlight2" >NF-kB↓, "highlight2" >Sp1/3/4↓, "highlight2" >BAX↑, "highlight2" >P21↑, "highlight2" >P53↑, "highlight2" >eff↓, "highlight2" >TumCMig↓,

3790-

UA,

Therapeutic applications of ursolic acid: a comprehensive review and utilization of predictive tools

"highlight2" >*Inflam↓, "highlight2" >*antiOx↑, "highlight2" >AntiCan↑, "highlight2" >*neuroP↑, "highlight2" >*hepatoP↑, "highlight2" >*cardioP↑, "highlight2" >*MMP↑, "highlight2" >*ROS↓, "highlight2" >*PGC-1α↑, "highlight2" >*BDNF↑, "highlight2" >*cognitive↑, "highlight2" >Bcl-2↓, "highlight2" >Cyt‑c↑, "highlight2" >DR5↑, "highlight2" >Casp9↑, "highlight2" >Casp8↑, "highlight2" >Casp3↑, "highlight2" >TumCCA↑, "highlight2" >*BioAv↓, "highlight2" >*Dose↝, "highlight2" >*Half-Life↓, "highlight2" >*Half-Life↓,

3789-

UA,

Ex,

Combined Ursolic Acid and Resistance/Endurance Training Improve Type 3 Diabetes Biomarkers-Related Memory Deficits in Hippocampus of Aged Male Wistar Rats

in-vivo,

AD,

rats

"highlight2" >*BDNF↑,

2411-

UA,

Ursolic acid in health and disease

Review,

Var,

"highlight2" >Inflam↓, "highlight2" >antiOx↑, "highlight2" >NF-kB↓, "highlight2" >Bcl-xL↓, "highlight2" >Bcl-2↓, "highlight2" >cycD1/CCND1↓, "highlight2" >Ki-67↓, "highlight2" >CD31↓, "highlight2" >STAT3↓, "highlight2" >EGFR↓, "highlight2" >P53↑, "highlight2" >P21↓, "highlight2" >HK2↓, "highlight2" >PKM2↓, "highlight2" >ATP↓, "highlight2" >lactateProd↓, "highlight2" >p‑ERK↓, "highlight2" >MMP↓, "highlight2" >NO↑, "highlight2" >ATM↑, "highlight2" >Casp3↑, "highlight2" >AMPK↑, "highlight2" >JNK↑, "highlight2" >FAO↑, "highlight2" >FASN↓, "highlight2" >*GSH↑, "highlight2" >*SOD↑, "highlight2" >*Catalase↑, "highlight2" >*GPx↑, "highlight2" >*GSTs↑, "highlight2" >neuroP↑,

2350-

UA,

Ursolic acid-mediated changes in glycolytic pathway promote cytotoxic autophagy and apoptosis in phenotypically different breast cancer cells

in-vitro,

BC,

MCF-7

20uM

in-vitro,

BC,

MDA-MB-231

"highlight2" >Akt↓, "highlight2" >Glycolysis↓, "highlight2" >HK2↓, "highlight2" >PKM2↓, "highlight2" >ATP↓, "highlight2" >lactateProd↓, "highlight2" >AMPK↑, "highlight2" >TumAuto↑, "highlight2" >Apoptosis↑, "highlight2" >ERK↓, "highlight2" >MMP↓, "highlight2" >NO↑, "highlight2" >ROS↑, "highlight2" >DNAdam↑,

1310-

UA,

Ursolic acid triggers apoptosis and Bcl-2 downregulation in MCF-7 breast cancer cells

in-vitro,

BC,

MCF-7

53 microM

"highlight2" >GR↝, "highlight2" >AP-1↝, "highlight2" >cl‑PARP↑, "highlight2" >Bcl-2↓,

1139-

UA,

Ursolic acid inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition by suppressing the expression of astrocyte-elevated gene-1 in human nonsmall cell lung cancer A549 cells

in-vitro,

Lung,

A549

"highlight2" >TumMeta↓, "highlight2" >AEG1↓, "highlight2" >E-cadherin↑, "highlight2" >N-cadherin↓, "highlight2" >Vim↓, "highlight2" >EMT↓,

1058-

UA,

Ursolic acid, an antagonist for transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1

in-vivo,

NA,

6.9+/-0.8 microM.

mouse

"highlight2" >TGF-β↓,

1020-

UA,

Root Bark of Morus alba L. and Its Bioactive Ingredient, Ursolic Acid, Suppress the Proliferation of Multiple Myeloma Cells by Inhibiting Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway

in-vitro,

Melanoma,

RPMI-8226

"highlight2" >β-catenin/ZEB1↓, "highlight2" >TCF↓, "highlight2" >cMyc↓, "highlight2" >cycD1/CCND1↓, "highlight2" >TumCP↓, "highlight2" >TumCCA↑, "highlight2" >Apoptosis↑, "highlight2" >cl‑Casp3↑, "highlight2" >cl‑PARP↑, "highlight2" >Casp7↑,

942-

UA,

Ursolic Acid Inhibits Breast Cancer Metastasis by Suppressing Glycolytic Metabolism via Activating SP1/Caveolin-1 Signaling

vitro+vivo,

BC,

MCF-7

25~50 mg/kg/d) by intraperitoneal injection

Zebrafish and Mouse

in-vitro,

BC,

MDA-MB-231

"highlight2" >Cav1↑, "highlight2" >Glycolysis↓, "highlight2" >cMyc↓, "highlight2" >LDHA↓, "highlight2" >Nrf1↓, "highlight2" >PGC-1α↓, "highlight2" >Sp1/3/4↑, "highlight2" >TumCG↓,

119-

UA,

CUR,

RES,

Combinatorial treatment with natural compounds in prostate cancer inhibits prostate tumor growth and leads to key modulations of cancer cell metabolism

in-vitro,

Pca,

DU145

in-vitro,

Pca,

PC3

"highlight2" >ROS⇅, "highlight2" >p‑STAT3↓, "highlight2" >Src↓, "highlight2" >AMPK↑, "highlight2" >GlutMet↑, "highlight2" >TCA↑, "highlight2" >glut↓,

Showing Research Papers: 1 to 20 of 20

* indicates research on normal cells as opposed to diseased cells
Total Research Paper Matches: 20

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:

Query results interpretion may depend on "conditions" listed in the research papers.
Such Conditions may include : 
  -low or high Dose
  -format for product, such as nano of lipid formations
  -different cell line effects
  -synergies with other products 
  -if effect was for normal or cancerous cells

Filter Conditions: Pro/AntiFlg:%  IllCat:%  CanType:%  Cells:%  prod#:164  Target#:%  State#:%  Dir#:%
  wNotes=0  sortOrder:rid,rpid

Ursolic acid Cancer Research Results

Pathway results for Effect on Normal Cells:

Redox & Oxidative Stress ⓘ

Mitochondria & Bioenergetics ⓘ

Immune & Inflammatory Signaling ⓘ

Synaptic & Neurotransmission ⓘ

Protein Aggregation ⓘ

Drug Metabolism & Resistance ⓘ

Functional Outcomes ⓘ

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