Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41064446›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in pharmacology2025

Betulinic acid and obesity-related disorders.

Lara Azevedo, Ricardo Ferraz, Mónica Vieira, Cristina Prudêncio, Sílvia Fernandes

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in pharmacology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Lara AzevedoRISE-Health, Center for Translational Health and Medical Biotechnology Research (TBIO), ESS, Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Ricardo FerrazRISE-Health, Center for Translational Health and Medical Biotechnology Research (TBIO), ESS, Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Mónica VieiraRISE-Health, Center for Translational Health and Medical Biotechnology Research (TBIO), ESS, Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Cristina PrudêncioRISE-Health, Center for Translational Health and Medical Biotechnology Research (TBIO), ESS, Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Sílvia FernandesRISE-Health, Center for Translational Health and Medical Biotechnology Research (TBIO), ESS, Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, Portugal.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The obesity epidemic is not just a health issue, it is increasingly driving a shift in the prevalence of chronic diseases, affecting 890 million adults and straining healthcare systems worldwide. Conditions such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and various cancer types are closely tied to this growing crisis. Betulinic acid has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-cancer properties and modulates key metabolic pathways such as NF-κB and AMPK signaling. This compound improves insulin sensitivity, reduces hepatic steatosis, mitigates the progression of atherosclerosis and fibrosis, and suppresses inflammatory responses, which are important in treating those obesity-related disorders. Additionally, betulinic acid use in cancer treatment has been explored due to its potential in angiogenesis and metastasis inhibition and promotion of apoptosis. This review spotlights the therapeutic potential of the natural compound betulinic acid in processes such as insulin sensitivity, glucose and lipid metabolism, adiposity, inflammation, oxidative stress, intestinal microbiota, and other mechanisms underlying different obesity-related disorders. Overall, besides strong therapeutic potential of betulinic acid, described limitations such as poor aqueous solubility, limited bioavailability, production and extraction have resulted in scarce clinical data making it premature to draw definitive conclusions regarding its application in clinical practice.

Indexed as

apoptosisbetulinic acidcancerdisordershealthobesity

Identifiers

PMID41064446
PMCPMC12500761

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.