Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Ursolic acid and other pentacyclic triterpenoids stimulate intestinal alkaline sphingomyelinase in vitro

Andersson, David LU ; Nilsson, Åke LU and Duan, Rui-Dong LU (2006) In European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology 108(2). p.103-108
Abstract
Purpose: Alkaline sphingomyelinase (alk-SMase) is an enzyme that hydrolyses sphingomyelin in a bile salt-dependent manner in the gastrointestinal tract, and has been proposed as an inhibitor of colon carcinogenesis. Ursolic acid (UA) is a plant-derived pentacyclic triterpenoid that has been shown to have anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects on HT29 human colon adenocarcinoma cells, with activation of alk-SMase as an early event. The aim of this study was to study the in vitro effects of UA and its analogues on the activity of purified rat intestinal alk-SMase. Methods: Rat intestinal alk-SMase activity was determined after incubation with UA in the presence and absence of taurocholate (TC). The effect was compared with boswellic acids,... (More)
Purpose: Alkaline sphingomyelinase (alk-SMase) is an enzyme that hydrolyses sphingomyelin in a bile salt-dependent manner in the gastrointestinal tract, and has been proposed as an inhibitor of colon carcinogenesis. Ursolic acid (UA) is a plant-derived pentacyclic triterpenoid that has been shown to have anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects on HT29 human colon adenocarcinoma cells, with activation of alk-SMase as an early event. The aim of this study was to study the in vitro effects of UA and its analogues on the activity of purified rat intestinal alk-SMase. Methods: Rat intestinal alk-SMase activity was determined after incubation with UA in the presence and absence of taurocholate (TC). The effect was compared with boswellic acids, another group of pentacyclic triterpenoids. Results: UA enhanced the activity of rat intestinal alk-SMase in a dose-dependent manner, without a similar effect on bacterial neutral SMase. Four types of boswellic acid also increased the enzyme activity, with the effect of acetyl-keto-beta-boswellic acid being most potent. Activation of alk-SMase by TC; at a low concentration (0.4 mM), but not at a high concentration, was enhanced by UA. Conclusions: Ursolic acid and four types of boswellic acid, all pentacyclic triterpenoids, have a stimulatory effect on the activity of intestinal alk-SMase. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
colon cancer, triterpenoid, alkaline sphingomyelinase, ursolic acid, boswellic acid, in vitro
in
European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology
volume
108
issue
2
pages
103 - 108
publisher
Wiley-VCH Verlag
external identifiers
  • wos:000236089100003
  • scopus:33644957632
ISSN
1438-7697
DOI
10.1002/ejlt.200500268
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
c0d9c07c-72b7-40e5-93d4-1470126ff519 (old id 415748)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:06:36
date last changed
2025-10-14 08:57:27
@article{c0d9c07c-72b7-40e5-93d4-1470126ff519,
  abstract     = {{Purpose: Alkaline sphingomyelinase (alk-SMase) is an enzyme that hydrolyses sphingomyelin in a bile salt-dependent manner in the gastrointestinal tract, and has been proposed as an inhibitor of colon carcinogenesis. Ursolic acid (UA) is a plant-derived pentacyclic triterpenoid that has been shown to have anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects on HT29 human colon adenocarcinoma cells, with activation of alk-SMase as an early event. The aim of this study was to study the in vitro effects of UA and its analogues on the activity of purified rat intestinal alk-SMase. Methods: Rat intestinal alk-SMase activity was determined after incubation with UA in the presence and absence of taurocholate (TC). The effect was compared with boswellic acids, another group of pentacyclic triterpenoids. Results: UA enhanced the activity of rat intestinal alk-SMase in a dose-dependent manner, without a similar effect on bacterial neutral SMase. Four types of boswellic acid also increased the enzyme activity, with the effect of acetyl-keto-beta-boswellic acid being most potent. Activation of alk-SMase by TC; at a low concentration (0.4 mM), but not at a high concentration, was enhanced by UA. Conclusions: Ursolic acid and four types of boswellic acid, all pentacyclic triterpenoids, have a stimulatory effect on the activity of intestinal alk-SMase.}},
  author       = {{Andersson, David and Nilsson, Åke and Duan, Rui-Dong}},
  issn         = {{1438-7697}},
  keywords     = {{colon cancer; triterpenoid; alkaline sphingomyelinase; ursolic acid; boswellic acid; in vitro}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{103--108}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-VCH Verlag}},
  series       = {{European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology}},
  title        = {{Ursolic acid and other pentacyclic triterpenoids stimulate intestinal alkaline sphingomyelinase in vitro}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ejlt.200500268}},
  doi          = {{10.1002/ejlt.200500268}},
  volume       = {{108}},
  year         = {{2006}},
}