E-mail addresses:
wavelvbo@163.com (B. Lv),
lichun@tsinghua.edu.cn
(C. Li).
Abstract: Ursolic acid (UA) is a ursane-type pentacyclic
triterpenoid compound, naturally produced in plants via specialized
metabolism and exhibits vast range of remarkable physiological
activities and pharmacological manifestations. Owing to significant
safety and efficacy in different medical conditions, UA may serve as a
backbone to produce its derivatives with novel therapeutic functions.
This review systematically provides an overview of the pharmacological
activities, acquisition methods and structural modification methods of
UA. In addition, we focused on the synthetic modifications of UA to
yield its valuable derivatives with enhanced therapeutic potential.
Furthermore, harnessing the essential advances for green synthesis of UA
and its derivatives by advent of metabolic engineering and synthetic
biology are highlighted. In combination with the advantages of UA
biosynthesis and transformation strategy, large-scale production and
applications of UA is a promising platform for further exploration.
Keywords: Ursolic Acid; Ursolic Acid
derivatives; Biosynthesis;
Metabolic engineering