A Comprehensive Review on Therapeutic Applications of Ferulic Acid and its Novel Analogues: A Brief Literature

Abstract

The compound 4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic acid, named as ferulic acid (FA), is a ubiquitous phenolic compound which is distributed extensively in the plant kingdom. Ferulic acid is a boon as it shows immense potential therapeutic effects which are useful in the treatment of diabetes, cancer, pulmonary and CVS diseases majorly due to its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory action. Ferulic acid exhibits other wide variety of biological activities such as, anticarcinogenic, antiallergic, antimicrobial, antiviral, hepatoprotective, metal chelation, activation of transcriptional factors, modulation of enzyme activity, gene expression as well as signal transduction. The structural characteristics of this active ingredient make it an optimal substrate to form or synthesize various derivates and its formulations. The present review addresses structure of ferulic acid, its pharmacodynamic parameters, applications and its various derivatives. In addition, the review also aims to cover the main aspects related to use of ferulic acid in the food and health industry and have listed various published patents on Ferulic acid.

A high‐performance liquid chromatography method for simultaneous quantification of metformin and ferulic acid in solid dosage forms

“…F I G U R E 1 Chemical structures of ferulic acid and metformin Among the reported biological activities, its antioxidant activity stands out [7]. Another pharmacological activity to note for ferulic acid is its hypoglycemic activity.…”

Process optimization of vanillin production by conversion of ferulic acid by Bacillus megaterium

“…Ferulic acid, a phenolic acid often found in plants such as rice, green tea, and coffee beans, is a derivative of lauric acid (i.e. cinnamic acid, 3‐phenyl‐2‐propenoic acid) that has a very high structural similarity to vanillin and is divided into two structural fractions; namely, the cis and trans structures 9 . Ferulic acid has antioxidant, 10‐12 antithrombotic, 9,13 hypolipidemic, 14,15 hypoglycemic, 16,17 antidepressant, 18 anti‐inflammatory, 19 and anticancer 20 activity/effects.…”

“…Ferulic acid has antioxidant, 10‐12 antithrombotic, 9,13 hypolipidemic, 14,15 hypoglycemic, 16,17 antidepressant, 18 anti‐inflammatory, 19 and anticancer 20 activity/effects. Owing to its strong bioactivity, ferulic acid is often used as a preservative and preserving agent added to foods in the food industry, thus contributing to the extension of the shelf life of foods and ensuring their quality 9 . In the food flavoring industry, ferulic acid is also often used as a substrate for the synthesis of the flavoring substance vanillin 21,22 …”

“…cinnamic acid, 3-phenyl-2-propenoic acid) that has a very high structural similarity to vanillin and is divided into two structural fractions; namely, the cis and trans structures. 9 Ferulic acid has antioxidant, [10][11][12] antithrombotic, 9,13 hypolipidemic, 14,15 hypoglycemic, 16,17 antidepressant, 18 anti-inflammatory, 19 and anticancer 20 activity/effects. Owing to its strong bioactivity, ferulic acid is often used as a preservative and preserving agent added to foods in the food industry, thus contributing to the extension of the shelf life of foods and ensuring their quality.…”

“…Owing to its strong bioactivity, ferulic acid is often used as a preservative and preserving agent added to foods in the food industry, thus contributing to the extension of the shelf life of foods and ensuring their quality. 9 In the food flavoring industry, ferulic acid is also often used as a substrate for the synthesis of the flavoring substance vanillin. 21,22 In the microbial conversion of ferulic acid as a substrate to form vanillin, vanillin is only an intermediate product in the conversion process, as vanillin is soon further oxidized to form vanillic acid, vanillin, and other substances.…”