Antitumor and Antiviral Activity of Pentacyclic Triterpenes

Over the last two decades, extensive research on compounds isolated from fruits, vegetables, cereals, herbs and medicinal plants has revealed that triterpenoids possess important pharmacological properties. Among the group of triterpenoids, pentacyclic ones show wide range of extensively studied pharmacokinetics linked with anticancer and antiviral action. In the group of pentacyclic triterpenoids the most active against cancer development are asiatic acid (AA), betulinic acid (BetA), boswellic acid (BA), glycyrrhizin and 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), lupeol, oleanolic acid (OA) or ursolic acid (UA) and their analogs and derivatives. They exhibit a cytotoxic action against a variety of tumor cell lines comparable to some clinically used drugs. Most of them have also important antiviral properties, especially anti-HIV activity, which make them potentially useful additives to the current anti-HIV therapy. The literature concerning studies on both, anticancer and antiviral activities of pentacyclic triterpenes is reviewed.