Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41399414›Full record

ArticleJournal of pharmaceutical analysis2025

Ursolic acid ameliorates ocular surface dysfunction in dry eye via targeting EGFR/RAS/RAF/MAP2K1/MAPK1 pathway.

Qinghe Zhang, Ke Yan, Yufei Lv, Qiuping Liu, Yi Han, Zuguo Liu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of pharmaceutical analysis, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Qinghe ZhangDepartment of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.
Ke YanDepartment of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.
Yufei LvDepartment of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.
Qiuping LiuDepartment of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.
Yi HanDepartment of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.
Zuguo LiuDepartment of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Dry eye (DE), a multifactorial ocular surface disease, is predominantly characterized by inflammation as a central pathological factor. Ursolic acid (UA), a pentacyclic triterpenoid with well-documented anti-inflammatory properties, was evaluated in this study for its therapeutic effects on ocular surface dysfunction associated with DE and its underlying mechanisms. A hyperosmotic stress model (500 mOsM) using human corneal epithelial cells (HCEs) and an animal model of DE was established to assess UA's protective effects on both cellular and organismal levels. Comprehensive assessments, including phenol-red cotton tests and slit-lamp examinations, were performed to evaluate ocular surface damage in the DE mouse model. Potential UA-related targets and their relevance to DE pathology were identified through database mining. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network construction and pathway enrichment analysis using the Metascape platform highlighted core targets and signaling pathways. Molecular docking simulations using AutoDock and PyMOL further elucidated the interaction modes between UA and its targets. To validate the molecular mechanisms underlying UA's therapeutic effects, integrative analyses were conducted using single-cell sequencing data from the Single Cell Portal and RNA sequencing of tissue samples. The results demonstrated that UA eye drops significantly preserved ocular surface functional units and alleviated DE symptoms, through modulation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/rat sarcoma (RAS)/rapidly accelerated fibrosarcoma (RAF)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase 1 (MAP2K1)/MAPK1 signaling pathway, as supported by network pharmacological analysis. Single-cell sequencing localized the distribution of key pathway proteins to the anterior ocular segment, particularly the cornea.

Indexed as

Dry eyeInflammationOcular surface dysfunctionUrsolic acid

Identifiers

PMID41399414
PMCPMC12702019

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.