• Meng Xu, Xiaoqi Li, Chenyue Yuan, Tingting Zhu, Mengfei Wang, Ying Zhu, Yanqiu Duan, Jialiang Yao, Bin Luo, Ziliang Wang, Sheng Yin, and Yuqing Zhao.
• Cancer Institute, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200071, P. R. China.
• Am. J. Chin. Med. 2024 Jan 1; 52 (7): 221122312211-2231.

AbstractGlycolysis is one of the key metabolic reprogramming characteristics of ovarian cancer. Ursolic Acid (UA), as a natural compound, exerts a beneficial regulatory effect on tumor metabolism. In this study, we have confirmed through RNA-seq analysis and a series of in vitro and in vivo functional experiments that UA significantly inhibits ovarian cancer cell proliferation, promotes tumor apoptosis, and reduces glycolysis levels. Additionally, it demonstrates synergistic therapeutic effects with cisplatin in both in vitro and in vivo experiments. Furthermore, at the molecular level, we found that UA inhibits glycolysis in ovarian cancer by binding to the transcription factor KLF5 and blocking the transcriptional expression of the downstream PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, thereby exerting its therapeutic effect. In conclusion, our research indicates that UA can inhibit the proliferation, apoptosis, and glycolysis levels of ovarian cancer cells through the KLF5/PI3K/AKT signaling axis. Our findings offer a new perspective on the therapeutic application of the natural compound UA in ovarian cancer and support its potential development as a candidate for chemotherapy.

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