Review Article

Antimicrobial Activity of Oleanolic and Ursolic Acids: An Update

Table 1

Oleanolic acid’s (OA) derivatives and their biological activities.

Plant species (family)Biological activityReference

Aceriphyllum rossii (Saxifragaceae)Cytotoxic [19] 
Anticomplement activity[20] 
[21]

Actinidia chinensis (Actinidiaceae)Hepatoprotection[22]

Aralia chinensis (Araliaceae)Hepatoprotection[23, 24]

Astilbe chinensis (Saxifragaceae)Cytotoxic[25]

Baccharis uncinella (Asteraceae)Antileishmanial[26]  
[27]

Baeckea gunniana (Myrtaceae)Inhibition of β-DNA polymerase [28]

Beta vulgaris  (Chenopodiaceae)Hepatoprotection [29, 30]

Betula ermanii (Betulaceae)Antitumor[31]

Calendula officinalis (Compositae)Antifungal activity[32]

Chrysosplenium carnosum (Saxifragaceae)Cytotoxic[33]

Diospyros kaki (Ebenaceae)Inhibition of tyrosine phosphatase [34]

Dysoxylum hainanense (Meliaceae)Antibacterial[35]

Eclipta prostrata (Asteraceae)Antifibrotic activity[36]

Embelia schimperi (Myrsinaceae)Antibacterial[37]

Eugenia jambolana  (Myrtaceae)Inhibition of lipid peroxidation and protection against adriamycin toxicity; antifertility activity[3840]

Fagus hayatae (Fagaceae)α-glucosidase inhibition[41]

Fatsia polycarpa (Araliaceae)Cytotoxic, antihepatitis B virus (HBV), and antibacterial[42]

Ganoderma lucidum  (Labiatae)Anticariogenic activity[43]

Glechoma hederacea  (Labiatae)Inhibition of azoxymethane-induced carcinogenesis in rats; Antitumor promotion[4446]

Ilex kudincha (Aquifoliaceae)Inhibition of acyl CoA cholesteryl acyl transferase [47]

Junellia aspera (Verbenaceae)Cytotoxic[48]

Lantana hispida  Verbenaceae)Antimycobacterial[49]

Liquidambar formosana (Altingiaceae)Inhibition of NFAT transcription factor [50]

Ligustrum lucidum (Oleaceae)Anti-inflammatory; antihyperglycemic; inhibition of mutagenicity by B(a)P[5154]

Luffa cylindrica   (Cucurbitaceae)Anti-inflammatory and inhibition of C3-convertase of the complement pathway[55, 56]

Lysimachia heterogenea (Primulaceae)Cytotoxic[57]

Lysimachia parvifolia (Primulaceae)Cytotoxic[58]

Nardophyllum bryoides (Asteraceae)Cytotoxic[59]

Microtropis japonica (Celastraceae)Cytotoxic[60]

Nigella glandulifera (Ranunculaceae)Cytotoxic[61]

Oleandra neriifolia  (Araliaceae)Anti-inflammatory[62]

Panax ginseng (Araliaceae)Hepatoprotection[63]

Panax stipuleanatus (Araliaceae)Anticancer [64, 65]
Inhibition of NF-κB

Phyllanthus flexuosus (Euphorbiaceae)Inhibition of DNA topoisomerases I and II [66]

Platycodon grandiflorum (Campanulaceae)Antiproliferative[67]

Rosa laevigata (Rosaceae)Anti-inflammatory [68, 69]
NF-κB transcriptional activity

Sapindus mukorossi  (Sapindaceae)Anti-inflammatory[70]

Siphonodon celastrineus  (Celastraceae)Cytotoxic[71, 72]

Swertia mileensis  (Gentianaceae)Hepatoprotection[7375]

Swertia japonica  (Gentianaceae)Hepatoprotection[76]

Terminalia arjuna (Combretaceae)Cardioprotection[77]

Terminalia chebula (Combretaceae)Cytotoxic[78]

Tetrapanax papyriferum  (Araliaceae)Hepatoprotection[79]

Tinospora sagittata  (Menispermaceae)Antihyperglycemic[80]

Uncaria laevigata (Rubiaceae)Inhibition of α-glucosidase[81]

Uncaria sessilifructus (Rubiaceae)Inhibition of activities against LPS-induced nitric oxide production in RAW264.7 macrophages[82]

Viburnum chingii (Adoxaceae)Cytotoxic[83]