In vitro analysis of the molecular mechanisms of ursolic acid against ovarian cancer

Abstract

Abstract Ovarian cancer is a common gynaecologic malignancy that poses a serious threat to the health and lives of women.Ursolic acid (UA) is present in various fruits, and several experiments have demonstrated its ability to inhibit tumour growth. In this study, the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was used to investigate the anti-proliferative effect of UA on ovarian cancer. Additionally, we assessed the inhibitory effects of UA on the colony formation and migration abilities of ovarian cancer cells via colony formation and scratch assays, respectively. To elucidate the capacity of UA to promote apoptosis, we assessed its potential mechanism of inhibiting ovarian cancer cell proliferation using flow cytometry, TUNEL staining, and protein blotting. These findings suggest that UA can enhance endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS), induce apoptosis, and suppress autophagy in ovarian cancer cells. This implies that UA exerts a significant anti-ovarian cancer effect by facilitating ERS in tumour cells and inhibiting autophagy.