Maslinic acid is a compound derived from dry olive-pomace oil (an olive skin wax) which is a byproduct of

olive oil extraction Olive oil extraction is the process of extracting the oil present in olive drupes, known as olive oil. Olive oil is produced in the mesocarp cells, and stored in a particular type of vacuole called a lipo vacuole, i.e., every cell conta ...

. It is a member of the group of triterpenes known as

oleanane Oleanane is a natural triterpenoid. It is commonly found in woody angiosperms and as a result is often used as an indicator of these plants in the fossil record. It is a member of the oleanoid series, which consists of pentacyclic triterpenoids ( ...

Pharmacology

In vitro ''In vitro'' (meaning in glass, or ''in the glass'') studies are performed with microorganisms, cells, or biological molecules outside their normal biological context. Colloquially called "test-tube experiments", these studies in biology an ...

'' study shows that maslinic acid inhibits serine proteases, key enzymes necessary for the spread of

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

within an individual's body. It also has ''in vitro''

antiproliferative Cytostasis (cyto – cell; stasis – stoppage) is the inhibition of cell growth and multiplication. Cytostatic refers to a cellular component or medicine that inhibits cell division. Cytostasis is an important prerequisite for structured multic ...

effects on colon cancer cells. Maslinic acid increases EAAT2 (GLT-1) glutamate reuptake and may reduce glutamatergic toxicity in rats.

References

{{reflist Triterpenes Carboxylic acids Vicinal diols