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| Betulinic acid "buh-TOO-li-nik acid" is a natural compound with antiretroviral, anti malarial, anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. It is found in the bark of several plants, such as white birch, ber tree and rosemary, and has a complex mode of action against tumor cells. -Betulinic acid is a naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpenoid -vitro concentrations range from 1–100 µM, in vivo studies in rodents have generally used doses from 10–100 mg/kg Precursor: Betulin, via oxidation at C-28 Lipophilicity: High (poor aqueous solubility) Betulinic acid — Betulinic acid is a naturally occurring lupane-type pentacyclic triterpenoid with broad experimental anticancer activity, especially against melanoma, neuroectodermal, glioma, breast, colorectal, and other solid-tumor models. It is a natural-product small molecule, usually abbreviated BA or BetA, and is found in several plants, classically birch bark, with semi-synthesis commonly starting from betulin. A distinguishing feature is preferential induction of tumor-cell death through direct mitochondrial injury with relative sparing of many non-neoplastic cells in preclinical systems. Its main translational limitation is very poor aqueous solubility with correspondingly weak oral/systemic developability unless formulation or derivatization is used. Primary mechanisms (ranked):
Bioavailability / PK relevance: Betulinic acid is highly lipophilic and poorly water-soluble, which strongly limits oral absorption and systemic exposure. PK behavior is formulation-dependent, and much of the translational literature focuses on nanoparticles, liposomes, micelles, conjugates, or topical delivery rather than conventional oral dosing. In-vitro vs systemic exposure relevance: Many in-vitro anticancer studies use low-to-mid micromolar concentrations, which are often difficult to reproduce reliably in vivo with unformulated parent betulinic acid. Accordingly, mechanistic findings are useful biologically, but direct concentration matching to standard oral/systemic use is often poor unless enhanced-delivery systems are used. Clinical evidence status: Strong preclinical and formulation-development literature; very limited human oncology evidence. Cancer-facing clinical development appears to remain early-phase/topical, with orphan designation for topical metastatic melanoma but no FDA approval for that indication. Betulinic acid itself is not an established approved anticancer drug. -half-life reports vary 3-5 hrs?. Reported half-life varies by formulation and species; several studies report multi-hour systemic persistence.BioAv -hydrophobic molecule with relatively poor water solubility. Main Cancer action -Direct mitochondrial targeting in cancer cells -Minimal effect on normal cells Key pathways -Mitochondrial membrane permeabilization -ROS-mediated apoptosis -Caspase-independent death Chemo relevance: Generally compatible, Not a redox buffer Pathways: - often induce ROS production - ROS↑ related: MMP↓(ΔΨm), ER Stress↑, UPR↑, GRP78↑, Ca+2↑">Ca+2↑, Cyt‑c↑, Caspases↑, DNA damage↑, cl-PARP↑, HSP↓ - Lowers AntiOxidant defense in Cancer Cells(Often associated with reduced redox buffering capacity in tumor cells (e.g., GSH depletion); NRF2 direction model-dependent.): NRF2↓, SOD↓, GSH↓ - May Raise AntiOxidant defense in Normal Cells: NRF2↑, SOD↑, GSH↑, Catalase↑ Reports suggest relative sparing of normal cells and preservation of antioxidant capacity in some models - lowers Inflammation : NF-kB↓(typ), COX2↓, p38↓ (context-dependent; often stress-activated), Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines : IL-1β↓, TNF-α↓, IL-6↓, IL-8↓ - inhibit Growth/Metastases : , MMPs↓, MMP2↓, MMP9↓, TIMP2, IGF-1↓, VEGF↓, ROCK1↓, FAK↓, NF-κB↓, TGF-β↓, α-SMA↓, ERK↓ - reactivate genes thereby inhibiting cancer cell growth : P53↑, HSP↓(model-dependent), Sp proteins↓, - cause Cell cycle arrest : TumCCA↑, cyclin D1↓, CDK2↓, CDK4↓, - inhibits Migration/Invasion : TumCMig↓, TumCI↓, FAK↓, ERK↓, EMT↓, TOP1↓, - inhibits glycolysis (secondary to mitochondrial stress) ATP depletion : HIF-1α↓, PKM2↓, cMyc↓, GLUT1↓, LDH↓, LDHA↓, HK2↓, PFKs↓, PDKs↓, HK2↓, ECAR↓, GRP78↑(ER stress), GlucoseCon↓ - inhibits angiogenesis↓ : VEGF↓, HIF-1α↓, EGFR↓, - inhibits Cancer Stem Cells in some studies : CSC↓, GLi1↓, β-catenin↓, OCT4↓, - Others: PI3K↓(typ), AKT↓(typ), JAK↓, STAT↓, β-catenin↓, AMPK↓(AMPK is often activated during metabolic stress), ERK↓, JNK, - Synergies: chemo-sensitization, chemoProtective, RadioSensitizer, Others(review target notes), Neuroprotective, Cognitive, Renoprotection, Hepatoprotective, CardioProtective, - Selectivity: Cancer Cells vs Normal Cells Mechanistic profile
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| In all eukaryotic cells, intracellular Ca2+ levels are maintained at low resting concentrations (approximately 100 nM) by the activity of the major Ca2+ extrusion system, the plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase (PMCA), which exchanges extracellular protons (H+) for cytosolic Ca2+. Indeed, sustained elevation of [Ca2+]C in the form of overload, saturating all Ca2+-dependent effectors, prolonged decrease in [Ca2+]ER, causing ER stress response, and high [Ca2+]M, inducing mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT), are considered to be pro-death factors. In cancer the Ca2+-handling toolkit undergoes profound remodelling (figure 1) to favour activation of Ca2+-dependent transcription factors, such as the nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT), c-Myc, c-Jun, c-Fos that promote hypertrophic growth via induction of the expression of the G1 and G1/S phase transition cyclins (D and E) and associated cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK4 and CDK2). Thus, cancer cells may evade apoptosis through decreasing calcium influx into the cytoplasm. This can be achieved by either downregulation of the expression of plasma membrane Ca2+-permeable ion channels or by reducing the effectiveness of the signalling pathways that activate these channels. Such protective measures would largely diminish the possibility of Ca2+ overload in response to pro-apoptotic stimuli, thereby impairing the effectiveness of mitochondrial and cytoplasmic apoptotic pathways. Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels (VGCCs): Overexpression of VGCCs has been associated with increased tumor growth and metastasis in various cancers, including breast and prostate cancer. Store-Operated Calcium Entry (SOCE): SOCE mechanisms, such as STIM1 and ORAI1, are often upregulated in cancer cells, contributing to enhanced cell survival and proliferation. High intracellular calcium levels are associated with increased cell proliferation and migration, leading to a poorer prognosis. Calcium signaling can also influence hormone receptor status, affecting treatment responses. Increased Ca²⁺ signaling is associated with advanced disease and metastasis. Patients with higher CaSR expression may have a worse prognosis due to enhanced tumor growth and resistance to apoptosis. -Ca2+ is an important regulator of the electric charge distribution of bio-membranes. |
| 2720- | BetA, | Betulinic acid induces apoptosis of HeLa cells via ROS-dependent ER stress and autophagy in vitro and in vivo |
| - | in-vitro, | Cerv, | HeLa |
| 2735- | BetA, | Betulinic acid as apoptosis activator: Molecular mechanisms, mathematical modeling and chemical modifications |
| - | Review, | Var, | NA |
| 2732- | BetA, | Chemo, | Betulinic acid chemosensitizes breast cancer by triggering ER stress-mediated apoptosis by directly targeting GRP78 |
| - | in-vitro, | BC, | MCF-7 | - | in-vitro, | BC, | MDA-MB-231 | - | in-vitro, | Nor, | MCF10 |
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
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