Ursolic acid, a natural pentacyclic triterpenoid carboxylic
acid, is the major component of some traditional medicine
herbs and is well known to possess a wide range of
biological functions, such as antioxidative,
anti-inflammatory, antihyperlipidemic and anticancer
activities, that are able to counteract endogenous and
exogenous biological stimuli.
Ursolic acid has been noted for their antitumor-promotion
activities. Ursolic acid is capable of inducing apoptosis in
tumor cells on one side and to prevent malignant
transformation of normal cells on the other side. It also
interferes with numerous enzymes, including the ones
serving directly to DNA synthesis
"NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - An herb used since ancient times to treat liver ailments may help reduce the liver damage caused by some cancer drugs, a study published Monday suggests.
In a study of 50 children undergoing chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), researchers found that an herb called milk thistle appeared to reduce treatment-related liver inflammation.
The study, published online in the journal Cancer, is the first clinical trial to test the herb in children undergoing chemotherapy, and the investigators caution that more research is still needed.
However, the findings are "promising" -- particularly since there is currently no way to help protect the liver from chemotherapy-induced damage, said senior researcher Dr. Kara M. Kelly, a pediatric oncologist at Columbia University Medical Center in New York."