Effect of Ursolic Acid Administration on Insulin Sensitivity and Metabolic Syndrome
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2015-09-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
The metabolic syndrome is characterized by the presence of overweight/obesity, insulin
resistance, hyperglycemia, dyslipidaemia and hypertension and an inflammatory state, which
together increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) or diabetes mellitus
type 2 (DM2). It is also characterized by a decreased insulin sensitivity, namely, lower
ability of insulin to metabolize glucose, key in the physiopathogeny of disease process.
In the search for a pharmacological agent that can attend more components of the metabolic
syndrome and above all improve insulin sensitivity to effectively prevent the development of
CVD and DM2, ursolic acid is a promising compound.
Ursolic acid is a pentacyclic carboxylic acid present in medicinal herbs, parts of some
fruits like apple peel, and plants such as rosemary. There is scientific evidence of
important benefits of ursolic acid level in vitro and in vivo on insulin, metabolism of
lipids and glucose, as well as on the body weight and metabolic parameters. However, the
results are not clear and the mechanisms are not fully elucidate.
The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of ursolic acid on the insulin sensitivity
and metabolic syndrome.