Ursolic acid, UA, as a pentacyclic triterpene is of interest to scientists
in the area of oncology because of its cytotoxicity, induction of different
iation, anti-mutagenic, antiviral and anti-invasive activities. UA is capab
le of inducing apoptosis in tumor cells on one side and to prevent malignan
t transformation of normal cells on the other side. It also interferes with
numerous enzymes, including the ones serving directly to DNA synthesis. Th
e aim of this review is to summarize reports on UA biological properties an
d to show its main anti-tumor effects and chemopreventive properties in nor
mal cells.