Bioavailability and metabolism of maslinic acid, a natural pentacyclic triterpene

Maslinic acid is a pentacyclic triterpene found in plants used in traditional medicine with antidiabetic, antitumor, antioxidant and parasitostatic activities. A diet rich in foods of plant origin could provide a regular supply of this bioactive compound since it has been detected in olives, spinaches, eggplants, chickpeas and pomegranates. The multiple biological effects elicited by maslinic acid suggest its putative use as nutraceutical. This review summarizes our study on the safety, pharmacokinetics, and metabolism after the oral administration of maslinic acid, conducted with the aim of increasing the knowledge about the bioavailability of this bioactive food component.