title: Comprehensive review on betulin as a potent anticancer agent.
abstract: Numerous plant-derived substances, and their derivatives, are effective antitumour and chemopreventive agents. Yet, there are also a plethora of tumour types that do not respond, or become resistant, to these natural substances. This requires the discovery of new active compounds. Betulin (BE) is a pentacyclic triterpene and secondary metabolite of plants abundantly found in the outer bark of the birch tree Betulaceae sp. BE displays a broad spectrum of biological and pharmacological properties, among which the anticancer and chemopreventive activity attract most of the attention. In this vein, BE and its natural and synthetic derivatives act specifically on cancer cells with low cytotoxicity towards normal cells. Although the antineoplastic mechanism of action of BE is not well understood yet, several interesting aspects of BE's interactions are coming to light. This review will summarize the anticancer and chemopreventive potential of BE in vitro and in vivo by carefully dissecting and comparing the doses and tumour lines used in previous studies, as well as focusing on mechanisms underlying its activity at cellular and molecular level, and discuss future prospects.
authors: The Chair and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University, 20-093 Lublin, Poland.
authors: Sylwia Katarzyna
authors: 0000-0002-5297-9033
authors: SK
authors: Król
authors: The Chair and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University, 20-093 Lublin, Poland.
authors: Michał
authors: M
authors: Kiełbus
authors: The Chair and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University, 20-093 Lublin, Poland ; Department of Physiology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, 20520 Turku, Finland ; Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology, Åbo Akademi University, 20500 Turku, Finland.
authors: Adolfo
authors: 0000-0002-9794-802X
authors: A
authors: Rivero-Müller
authors: The Chair and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University, 20-093 Lublin, Poland ; Department of Otolaryngology, MSW Hospital, 20-331 Lublin, Poland.
authors: Andrzej
authors: A
authors: Stepulak
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D014315:Triterpenes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000094062:Betulinic Acid
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D014315:Triterpenes; C002503:betulin; D000094062:Betulinic Acid