Researchers describe a new potential role for oleanic acid as a modulator of the DNA damage response following camptothecin treatment. Administration of oleanic acid in combination with camptothecin for cancer chemotherapy may reduce the amount of drug needed and increase the effectiveness of treatment. The findings are part of a novel research program focused on identifying new molecules for cancer therapy derived from natural extracts.

The study, titled "Oleanolic Acid Modulates DNA Damage Response to Camptothecin Increasing Cancer Cell Death," was published last week in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

The research group is led by Prof. Antonio Giordano, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine at Temple University, Professor of Pathology at the University of Siena, and Founder of the Sbarro Health Research Organization (SHRO), along with Dr. Luigi Alfano from the Istituto Nazionale Tumori Fondazione Pascale, Naples, Italy.

Researchers working with SHRO and Giordano have been responsible for numerous groundbreaking discoveries in molecular biology and precision medicine, including capsaicin's potential to enhance mesothelioma treatment, a study about the role of CDK9 in oncology, and a genetic target to reduce blood vessel growth in glioblastoma tumors.

In this new study, oleanic acid was identified in a grape pomace extract using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), revealing a significant effect on the viability of cancer cell lines when combined with a chemotherapeutic drug. The addition of oleanic acid acts as an additive compound with camptothecin, reducing the required concentration of the chemotherapeutic drug compared to camptothecin alone. Moreover, oleanic acid does not affect cell viability at the concentrations used in these experiments.

"This is an important discovery for our group, highlighting the potential of natural extracts as a source of molecules for cancer therapy," says Alfano.

"Use of oleanic acid may allow us to reduce the camptothecin drug concentration needed to get the desired anti-cancer result," says senior author Giordano. "Lower doses of chemotherapy suggest the possibility of reducing the side effects associated with cancer treatment, making the experience more tolerable for patients."