Corosolic acid is a pentacyclic triterpene acid isolated from Lagerstroemia speciosa. It inhibits STAT3 and VEGFR2 signaling and has cytotoxic effect on a number of tumor cell lines. Corosolic acid has demonstrated anti-diabetic effect in vivo, probably due to facilitation of GLUT4 translocation or AMPK activation.

Maslinic acid is a pentacyclic triterpene occur naturally in many herbs and plant foods. It is found in the protective wax-like coating of the leaves and fruit of Olea europaea and is one of the ingredients in olive oil. Benefits of the olive oil triterpenes (oleanolic and maslinic acid) on the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in addition to their bioavailability and disposition have been investigated in Phase 3 clinical trial in healthy participants. Maslinic acid is used in skin care products and dietary supplements. Maslinic acid exerts a wide range of biological activities including antitumor, antidiabetic, anti-obesity, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, neuroprotective and antimicrobial. In vitro anti-diabetic effects of maslinic acid are exhibited by increasing glycogen content and inhibiting glycogen phosphorylase activity in HepG2 cells. It was shown to induce the phosphorylation level of IRβ-subunit, Akt, and GSK3β with specific activation of Akt. In vivo maslinic acid treatment of mice fed with a high-fat diet reduced the model-associated adiposity and insulin resistance, and increased the accumulated hepatic glycogen content. In hyperglycemia mice, the elevation of blood glucose level caused by adrenaline or glucose was antagonized by maslinic acid significantly. Diabetic rats pretreated with high-dose maslinic acid had lower blood glucose levels, reduced infarct volumes and improved neurological scores. Less glutamate overflow was also observed in maslinic acid -treated rats after 2 hours of ischemia followed by 24 and 72 hours of reperfusion. In addition, maslinic acid treatment enhanced the glial glutamate transporter GLT-1 expression at the protein and mRNA levels. Direct beneficial effect in cerebral ischemic injury in rats may be correlated with the promotion of glutamate clearance by NF-κB-mediated GLT-1 up-regulation. Through NF-kappa B and MAPK/AP-1 signaling pathways maslinic acid suppresses RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis as well.

Gambogic acid (GA), a naturally occurring xanthone-based moiety, reported from Garcinia hanburyi tree, is known to perform numerous intracellular and extracellular actions, including programmed cell death, autophagy, cell cycle arrest, antiangiogenesis, antimetastatic, and anti-inflammatory activities. In addition, GA-based synergistic approaches have been proven to enhance the healing strength of existing chemotherapeutic agents along with lesser side effects. Among cellular targets of gambogic acid topoisomerase, multidrug-resistant protein ATP-binding cassette transporter B1 (ABCB1) and Transferrin receptor.

Tetrahydrofolic acid is a folic acid derivative. It is produced from dihydrofolic acid by dihydrofolate reductase. It is converted into 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate by serine hydroxymethyltransferase. It is a coenzyme in many reactions, especially in the metabolism of amino acids and nucleic acids. It acts as a donor of a group with one carbon atom. It gets this carbon atom by sequestering formaldehyde produced in other processes. Tetrahydrofolate is the main active metabolite of dietary folate. It is vital as a coenzyme in reactions involving transfers of single carbon groups. Tetrahydrofolate has a role in nucleic and amino acid synthesis. As nucleic and amino acid synthesis is affected by a deficiency of tetrahydrofolate, actively dividing and growing cells tend to be the first affected. Tetrahydrofolate is used to treat topical sprue and megaloblastic and macrocytic anemias, hematologic complications resulting from a deficiency in folic acid. Tetrahydrofolic acid is used for nutritional supplementation, also for treating dietary shortage or imbalance.