EFFECT OF VASCULAR SMOOTH MUSCLE CELL PROLIFERATION OF URSOLIC ACID

Jun Hui Park, Man Kyu Huh and Yong Lim*

ABSTRACT

Ursolic acid is present in many plants, such as Mirabilis jalapa, as well as in many fruits and herbs. Ursolic acid has been reported to exhibit multiple biological effects including anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral efficacy. In this study, we investigated the effect of ursolic acid cell proliferation in rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Ursolic acid was found to inhibit cell proliferation and DNA synthesis in cultured VSMCs. Pretreatment with ursolic acid (10∼50 μM) suppressed platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) that stimulated cell number in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, ursolic acid inhibited [3H]-thymidine incorporation into DNA in VSMCs in response to 50 ng/mL PDGF-BB. PDGF-BB stimulated DNA synthesis was significantly reduced by 61.6% and 87.2% at concentrations of 30 and 50 μM, respectively. Thus, ursolic acid blocked the PDGF-BB–inducible progression through G0/G1 to S phase of the cell cycle in synchronized cells. Ursolic acid appeared to activated platelets Induced growth factors such as PDGF, which may prevent the excessive proliferation of VSMCs.

Keywords: Platelet-derived growth factor-BB, ursolic acid, vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC).