Abstract
The treatment of gynecological cancers is challenging because they are often diagnosed at the advanced stages. Furthermore, available chemotherapeutics increasingly imply the development of resistance in cancer patients. This necessitates the search for alternative solutions that could be used in therapy. One of the possibilities to consider is the use of pentacyclic triterpenoids. They are naturally occurring compounds characterized by a wide range of biological activities. They can also be modified to improve their pharmacological properties. Terpenoids based on oleanane, ursane, and lupane skeletons can modulate the numerous processes occurring in both normal and transformed cells. To develop effective anti-cancer therapy, it is essential to understand the processes regulating the progression and suppression of a given type of cancer. For this reason, it is necessary to assess the influence of the tested compounds on cellular processes such as the cell cycle, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, autophagy, and apoptosis. This article summarizes available information on the effects of pentacyclic triterpenoids on the PI3K/AKT/mTOR, MAPK/ERK, NF-κB, JAK/STAT, Notch, HIF-1α, TGF-β, Wnt/β-catenin, Hippo, and Hedgehog signaling pathways in ovarian cancer cells.