Betulinic acid exerts anti‐hepatitis <scp>C</scp> virus activity via the suppression of <scp>NF</scp>‐κ<scp>B‐</scp> and <scp>MAPK</scp>‐<scp>ERK</scp>1/2‐mediated <scp>COX</scp>‐2 expression

The study evaluated the effects of betulinic acid (BA) on hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication, revealing that BA inhibited HCV replication in both replicon cells and infectious particle systems. BA's mechanism involved suppressing COX-2 expression by reducing NF-κB and ERK 1/2 phosphorylation in the MAPK signaling pathway. The study also found that BA, when combined with other HCV inhibitors like IFN-α, telaprevir, or sofosbuvir, synergistically suppressed HCV RNA replication. These findings suggested that BA could be a promising compound for drug development or as a supplement in treating HCV-infected patients.