Multifunctional Roles of Betulinic Acid in Cancer Chemoprevention: Spotlight on JAK/STAT, VEGF, EGF/EGFR, TRAIL/TRAIL-R, AKT/mTOR and Non-Coding RNAs in the Inhibition of Carcinogenesis and Metastasis

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2022-12, Vol.28 (1), p.67
• Main Authors: Farooqi, Ammad Ahmad, Turgambayeva, Assiya, Tashenova, Gulnara, Tulebayeva, Aigul, Bazarbayeva, Aigul, Kapanova, Gulnara, Abzaliyeva, Symbat
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acids; AKT protein; AKT/mTOR; Analysis; Angiogenesis; Animal models; Animals; Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology; Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use; Apoptosis; Betulinic acid; Betulinic Acid - pharmacology; Betulinic Acid - therapeutic use; Cancer; Cancer therapies; Carcinogenesis; Carcinogenesis - drug effects; Carcinogens; Care and treatment; Cell culture; Cell signaling; Cellular signal transduction; Clinical trials; Coding; Colonization; Cytokines; Deregulation; Development and progression; EGF/EGFR; Epidermal growth factor; Epidermal Growth Factor - metabolism; Epidermal growth factor receptors; ErbB Receptors - genetics; ErbB Receptors - metabolism; JAK/STAT; Kinases; Knowledge; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Metastases; Metastasis; Neoplasms - drug therapy; Neoplasms - genetics; Neoplasms - prevention & control; Non-coding RNA; Phosphorylation; Prevention; Proteins; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt - metabolism; Review; Signal transduction; TOR protein; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases - metabolism; Tumors; Ubiquitination; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A - metabolism; VEGF/VEGFR
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules28010067

The pursual of novel anticancer molecules from natural sources has gained worthwhile appreciation, and a significant fraction of conceptual knowledge has revolutionized our understanding about heterogeneous nature of cancer. Betulinic acid has fascinated interdisciplinary researchers due to its tremendous pharmacological properties. Ground-breaking discoveries have unraveled previously unprecedented empirical proof-of-concept about momentous chemopreventive role of betulinic acid against carcinogenesis and metastasis. Deregulation of cell signaling pathways has been reported to play a linchpin role in cancer progression and colonization of metastatically competent cancer cells to the distant organs for the development of secondary tumors. Importantly, betulinic acid has demonstrated unique properties to mechanistically modulate oncogenic transduction cascades. In this mini-review, we have attempted to provide a sophisticated compendium of regulatory role of betulinic acid in cancer chemoprevention. We have partitioned this multi-component review into different sections in which we summarized landmark research-works which highlighted betulinic acid mediated regulation of JAK/STAT, VEGF, EGF/EGFR, TRAIL/TRAIL-R, AKT/mTOR and ubiquitination pathways in the inhibition of cancer. In parallel, betulinic acid mediated regulation of signaling cascades and non-coding RNAs will be critically analyzed in cell culture and animal model studies. Better comprehension of the pharmaceutical features of betulinic acid and mapping of the existing knowledge gaps will be valuable in the translatability of preclinical studies into rationally designed clinical trials.