Ursolic acid inhibits the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells by suppressing the hippo/YAP signaling pathway.

IF 4 2区农林科学 Q1 AGRICULTURE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture Pub Date : 2026-09-01 Epub Date: 2026-06-04 DOI:10.1002/jsfa.70766

Ranran Tao, Qiuxuan Zou, Siying Huang, Jun Yang, Yan Meng, Zhenpeng Qiu, Qi Wang, Yong Wu, Guohua Zheng, Junjie Hu

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most frequent malignant tumors, with high morbidity and fatality rates. Abnormalities in the Hippo pathway or YAP overexpression alter the cell proliferation-apoptosis equilibrium, which promotes cancer progression. Ursolic acid (UA), a naturally occurring triterpenoid carboxylic acid, exhibits preventive and anticancer properties. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of UA on breast cancer via the Hippo-YAP pathway.

Results: The findings revealed that UA hindered YAP nuclear translocation and increased its phosphorylation, preventing YAP from entering the nucleus from the cytoplasm and thus failing to motivate transcriptional expression of the downstream proliferation-related target genes, including CYR61 (i.e. cysteine-rich 61) and CTGF (i.e. connective tissue growth factor). Moreover, YAP overexpression reversed the inhibitory impact of UA on breast cancer cell proliferation and migration, whereas siYAP increased the inhibitory effects of UA on breast cancer cell proliferation and migration. Additionally, UA inhibited tumor growth in mice xenografted with MCF-7 cells.

Conclusion: UA reduces breast cancer growth via the Hippo-YAP pathway, providing a theoretical foundation for its anticancer activity and suggesting that UA may serve as a promising candidate for breast cancer therapy. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

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熊果酸通过抑制hippo/YAP信号通路抑制乳腺癌细胞的增殖和迁移。

背景：乳腺癌（Breast cancer， BC）是最常见的恶性肿瘤之一，具有较高的发病率和致死率。Hippo通路异常或YAP过表达改变细胞增殖-凋亡平衡，从而促进癌症进展。熊果酸（UA）是一种天然存在的三萜羧酸，具有预防和抗癌作用。本研究旨在通过Hippo-YAP通路评估UA对乳腺癌的影响。结果：UA阻碍了YAP的核易位，增加了YAP的磷酸化，阻止了YAP从细胞质进入细胞核，因此不能激发下游增殖相关靶基因CYR61（即富半胱氨酸61）和CTGF（即结缔组织生长因子）的转录表达。此外，YAP过表达逆转了UA对乳腺癌细胞增殖和迁移的抑制作用，而siYAP则增强了UA对乳腺癌细胞增殖和迁移的抑制作用。此外，UA还能抑制MCF-7细胞移植小鼠的肿瘤生长。结论：UA通过Hippo-YAP通路抑制乳腺癌生长，为其抗癌活性提供了理论基础，提示UA可能是一种有前景的乳腺癌治疗候选药物。©2026化学工业协会。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 工程技术-农业综合

CiteScore

8.10

自引率

4.90%

发文量

634

审稿时长

3.1 months

期刊介绍： The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture publishes peer-reviewed original research, reviews, mini-reviews, perspectives and spotlights in these areas, with particular emphasis on interdisciplinary studies at the agriculture/ food interface. Published for SCI by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. SCI (Society of Chemical Industry) is a unique international forum where science meets business on independent, impartial ground. Anyone can join and current Members include consumers, business people, environmentalists, industrialists, farmers, and researchers. The Society offers a chance to share information between sectors as diverse as food and agriculture, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, materials, chemicals, environmental science and safety. As well as organising educational events, SCI awards a number of prestigious honours and scholarships each year, publishes peer-reviewed journals, and provides Members with news from their sectors in the respected magazine, Chemistry & Industry . Originally established in London in 1881 and in New York in 1894, SCI is a registered charity with Members in over 70 countries.