Oleanolic acid is a phytochemincal in the subclass of Triterpenoid, belonging to the group of Terpenes found abundantly in honey mesquite, garlic, java apple, clove, etc.
==Special Precautions of Oleanolic Acid==
==Health Benefits and Uses of Oleanolic Acid==
* Anti infammatory effects : In the investigation by monitoring the effect of OA on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated release of HMGB1 and the HMGB1-mediated modulation of inflammatory responses in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), showed that OA potently inhibited the release of HMGB1 by HUVECs as well as down-regulated HMGB1-dependent adhesion and migration of the monocytic cell line THP-1 to activated HUVECs. OA also down-regulated the cell surface expression of the receptor of HMGB1, thereby inhibiting HMGB1-dependent pro-inflammatory responses by inhibiting activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and production of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) by HMGB1, according to “Anti-inflammatory activities of oleanolic acid on HMGB1 activated HUVECs” by Yang EJ, Lee W, Ku SK, Song KS, Bae JS.
* [[Aids / HIV]] : Oleanolic acid was found to exhibit weak anti-HIV and weak anti-HCV activities in vitro, but more potent synthetic analogs are being investigated as potential drugs
* Anti tumors effects : In the examination of the anti tumor effect of a new oleanolic triterpene, 3β,6β,19α-trihydroxy-12-oleanen-28-oic acid obtained from the chloroform-soluble portion of the 90% alcohol-water extract of the stem bark of Uncaria macrophylla, found that as the cytotoxicities of the compound was evaluated against two cancer cell lines of MCF-7 and HepG2 by the MTT method, and the compound exhibited weak activities with the IC(50) values of 78.2 µg/mL and 73.9 µg/mL, according to “A New Triterpene From Uncaria macrophylla and Its Antitumor Activity” by Sun G, Zhang X, Xu X, Yang J, Zhong M, Yuan J.
* Non-small cell lung cancer : In the evaluation of wheather oleanolic acid (OA), a pentacyclic triterpene present in several plants, is able to circumvent the mechanisms of drug resistance present in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines and to induce their death, indicated that the data provide a significant insight into the antitumoral and antimetastatic activity of OA in NSCLC and suggest that including OA in the NSCLC regimens may help to decrease the number of relapses and reduce the development of metastases, according to “Oleanolic acid initiates apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer cell lines and reduces metastasis of a B16F10 melanoma model in vivo” by Lúcio KA, Rocha Gda G, Monção-Ribeiro LC, Fernandes J, Takiya CM, Gattass CR.