Recent progress on betulinic acid and its derivatives as antitumor agents: a mini review.
10.1016/S1875-5364(21)60097-3
- Author:
Ye ZHONG
1
;
Nan LIANG
1
;
Yang LIU
2
;
Mao-Sheng CHENG
3
Author Information
1. Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, China.
2. Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, China. Electronic address: y.liu@syphu.edu.cn.
3. Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery of Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang 110016, China. Electronic address: mscheng@syphu.edu.cn.
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords:
Antitumor activity;
Betulinic acid;
Derivatives;
Natural products;
Structural modification
- From:
Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines (English Ed.)
2021;19(9):641-647
- CountryChina
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Natural products are one of the important sources for the discovery of new drugs. Betulinic acid (BA), a pentacyclic triterpenoid widely distributed in the plant kingdom, exhibits powerful biological effects, including antitumor activity against various types of cancer cells. A considerable number of BA derivatives have been designed and prepared to remove their disadvantages, such as poor water solubility and low bioavailability. This review summarizes the current studies of the structural diversity of antitumor BA derivatives within the last five years, which provides prospects for further research on the structural modification of betulinic acid.
