Ursolic acid is a triterpenoid found in plants. The chemical name for ursolic acid is 3β-hydroxy-12-ursen-28-ic acid. Over 20,000 terpenoids have been identified in plants and many of these are present in the edible plants that humans consume. The human diet is therefore replete with terpenoid compounds. Terpenoids have been researched for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and both of these effects may confer neuroprotective effects when the terpenoids are consumed. The beneficial neuroprotective effects of terpenoids have been shown to include protection from traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury, cerebral ischaemia, cognitive deficit, inflammation, oxidation, and depression and anxiety. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of ursolic acid, likely explain most of the neuroprotective effects of the compound as oxidation and inflammation are inherent in neurodegeneration and are pivotal in the development of mood disorders and poor mental condition.
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