Ferulic acid as a therapeutic agent in depression: Evidence from preclinical studies

Abstract

Depression is a common but severe mood disorder with a very high prevalence across the general population. Depression is of global concern and poses a threat to human physical and mental health. Ferulic acid (FA) is a natural active ingredient that has antioxidative, anti‐inflammatory, and free radical scavenging properties. Furthermore, studies have shown that FA can exert antidepressant effects through a variety of mechanisms. The aim of the review was to comprehensively elucidate the mechanisms in FA that alleviate depression using animal models. The in vivo (animal) studies on the mechanism of FA treatment of depression were searched in PubMed, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Baidu academic, and Wan fang databases. Thereafter, the literature conclusions were summarized accordingly. Ferulic acid was found to significantly improve the depressive‐like behaviors of animal models, suggesting that FA is a potential natural product in the treatment of depression. The mechanisms are achieved by enhancing monoamine oxidase A (MOA) activity, inhibiting microglia activation and inflammatory factor release, anti‐oxidative stress, promoting hippocampal nerve regeneration, increasing brain‐derived neurotrophic factor secretion, regulating gut microbiome, and activating protein kinase B/collapsin response mediator protein 2 (AKT/CRMP2) signaling pathway. Ferulic acid produces significant antidepressant effects in animal depression models through various mechanisms, suggesting its potential value as a treatment of depression. However, clinical research trials involving FA are required further to provide a solid foundation for its clinical application.

Comparative Pharmacokinetics Research of 13 Bioactive Components of Jieyu Pills in Control and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Model Rats Based on UPLC-Orbitrap Fusion MS

“…According to clinical research, stress triggers the activation of microglia, leading to a rise in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. However, it has been found that Ferulic acid could block the excitation of microglia and reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]. Moreover, Z-ligustilide exhibits substantial potential in the areas of antidepression and the regulation of gut flora, among other aspects [ 34 ].…”

Mining key circadian biomarkers for major depressive disorder by integrating bioinformatics and machine learning

“…It has the advantage of a rapid onset of action and exerts a significant antidepressant effect by modulating multiple neurotransmitters, including dopamine, GABA, and norepinephrine [ 66 , 67 ]. In addition, we also screened some natural products from plants such as ferulic acid and isochlorogenic acid B. Ferulic acid has been proven to produce significant antidepressant effects in animal models of MDD through various mechanisms, providing a solid basis for its clinical application [ 68 ]. Ferulic acid can significantly improve APP deposition-induced neurofunctional impairments by activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway [ 69 ].…”

Simple phenylpropanoids: recent advances in biological activities, biosynthetic pathways, and microbial production

“…FA can achieve significant alleviation of depression in animal models by enhancing monoamine oxidase A (MOA) activity, promoting hippocampal nerve regeneration, anti-oxidative stress, and anti-inflammatory activity, and activating the protein kinase B/collapsin response mediator protein 2 (AKT/CRMP2) signalling pathway. 52…”