title: Protective effects of ursolic acid and oleanolic acid in leukemic cells.
abstract: Ursolic acid (UA) and oleanolic acid (OA) have similar chemical structures but differ in the position of one methyl group on the ring E. We investigated protective effects of these two triterpenoic acids against H(2)O(2)-induced DNA damage in leukemic L1210, K562 and HL-60 cells using single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE). We compared their protective effects (antioxidant activities) with respect to the different position of the methyl group in their chemical structures. After 24h pre-treatment of cells both compounds investigated inhibited significantly the incidence of DNA single strand breaks induced by H(2)O(2). The concentration range of UA and OA was in all experiments 2.5-10 micromol/l. The antioxidant activity of OA determined by SCGE was significantly higher compared to UA in L1210 ((+)P<0.05) and K562 cells ((+++)P<0.001). Significant difference of the antioxidant activities of the two compounds was evidently connected with the different position of the methyl group. The protective effect of OA was in HL-60 cells slightly lower compared to the activity of UA, but the difference between the protective effects of UA and OA was not significant. In conclusion we can say that both natural pentacyclic triterpenoic acids investigated, UA and OA, manifested potent antioxidant effects. The different position of one methyl group in their chemical structures caused moderately different biological activities of these compounds on three leukemic cell lines. To explore their mechanisms of action further investigation seems to be therefore worthwhile.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mutagenesis and Carcinogenesis, Cancer Research Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Vlárska 7, 833 91 Bratislava, Slovak Republic. zdenka.ovesna@savba.sk <zdenka.ovesna@savba.sk>
authors.forename: Zdenka
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ovesná
authors.forename: Katarína
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kozics
authors.forename: Darina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Slamenová
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004249:DNA Damage; D018922:HL-60 Cells; D006801:Humans; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D007938:Leukemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D009828:Oleanolic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014315:Triterpenes / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000097245:Ursolic Acid
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D000975:Antioxidants; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D009828:Oleanolic Acid; D014315:Triterpenes; D000097245:Ursolic Acid