Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester: A Review of Its Antioxidant Activity, Protective Effects against Ischemia-reperfusion Injury and Drug Adverse Reactions

Abstract

Propolis, a honey bee product, has been used in folk medicine for centuries for the treatment of abscesses, canker sores and for wound healing. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) is one of the most extensively investigated active components of propolis which possess many biological activities, including antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer effects. CAPE is a polyphenolic compound characterized by potent antioxidant and cytoprotective activities and protective effects against ischemia-reperfusion (I/R)-induced injury in multiple tissues such as brain, retina, heart, skeletal muscles, testis, ovaries, intestine, colon, and liver. Furthermore, several studies indicated the protective effects of CAPE against chemotherapy-induced adverse drug reactions (ADRs) including several antibiotics (streptomycin, vancomycin, isoniazid, ethambutol) and chemotherapeutic agents (mitomycin, doxorubicin, cisplatin, methotrexate). Due to the broad spectrum of pharmacological activities of CAPE, this review makes a special focus on the recently published data about CAPE antioxidant activity as well as its protective effects against I/R-induced injury and many adverse drug reactions.

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester guards against benign prostate hypertrophy in rats: Role of IGF‐1R/protein kinase‐B (Akt)/β‐catenin signaling

“…The co‐administration of CAPE replenished both antioxidant systems and hampered testosterone‐induced oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation as evidenced by reduction in MDA tissue levels. Our results are in line with previous in vitro and in vivo studies indicating a potent antioxidant activity of CAPE in different tissue types . One of the mechanisms through which oxidative stress increases cell proliferation and prostate growth is through the activation of PI3K/Akt signaling pathways .…”

“…Those include enhancing the antioxidant defense systems such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase . Furthermore, CAPE reduces the activities of adenosine deaminase and xanthine oxidase and increases reduced glutathione levels . Moreover, CAPE exhibits anti‐inflammatory activities since it is a potent inhibitor of NF‐κB which is a key mediator in inflammation and cell survival signaling .…”

Anti-tyrosinase kinetics and antibacterial process of caffeic acid N-nonyl ester in Chinese Olive (Canarium album) postharvest

“…Caffeic acid also could present antibacterial properties by pH dependent [13]. In particular, caffeic ester derivatives, such as caffeic acid phenethyl ester, with diverse functions had attracted considerable attention recently [14]. We had synthesized many types of caffeic ester analogues and studied the different biological activities of analogues.…”

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester attenuates ionize radiation-induced intestinal injury through modulation of oxidative stress, apoptosis and p38MAPK in rats

“…However, the inherent toxicity of these agents at the radioprotective doses warrant further search for safer and more effective radioprotectors (Nair and Nair, 2013). Recently, several researches have focused on the potential use of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) as free radical scavengers to prevent oxidative damage (Tolba et al, 2014).…”