Phenolic Acids-Mediated Regulation of Molecular Targets in Ovarian Cancer: Current Understanding and Future Perspectives

Abstract

Cancer is a global health concern with a dynamic rise in occurrence and one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Among different types of cancer, ovarian cancer (OC) is the seventh most diagnosed malignant tumor, while among the gynecological malignancies, it ranks third after cervical and uterine cancer and sadly bears the highest mortality and worst prognosis. First-line treatments have included a variety of cytotoxic and synthetic chemotherapeutic medicines, but they have not been particularly effective in extending OC patients’ lives and are associated with side effects, recurrence risk, and drug resistance. Hence, a shift from synthetic to phytochemical-based agents is gaining popularity, and researchers are looking into alternative, cost-effective, and safer chemotherapeutic strategies. Lately, studies on the effectiveness of phenolic acids in ovarian cancer have sparked the scientific community’s interest because of their high bioavailability, safety profile, lesser side effects, and cost-effectiveness. Yet this is a road less explored and critically analyzed and lacks the credibility of the novel findings. Phenolic acids are a significant class of phytochemicals usually considered in the nonflavonoid category. The current review focused on the anticancer potential of phenolic acids with a special emphasis on chemoprevention and treatment of OC. We tried to summarize results from experimental, epidemiological, and clinical studies unraveling the benefits of various phenolic acids (hydroxybenzoic acid and hydroxycinnamic acid) in chemoprevention and as anticancer agents of clinical significance.

Polyphenols: Natural Food-Grade Biomolecules for the Treatment of Nervous System Diseases from a Multi-Target Perspective

“…Polyphenols, due to their natural origin, are generally believed to be non-toxic and safe. Data from clinical and preclinical studies demonstrated that the evaluated phenolic compounds were well tolerated, free of adverse effects and had a high safety profile [ 139 , 140 ]. However, this cannot be established as a rule.…”

Phytochemical Profiling and Biological Activities of Quercus sp. Galls (Oak Galls): A Systematic Review of Studies Published in the Last 5 Years

“…Among the phenolic acids, gallic acid is recognized as the most prevalent hydroxybenzoic acid, being abundant both in natural sources (oak gallnuts/leaves/bark/acorns, pomegranate root bark, berry/tea leaves, many fruits and vegetables), as well as in processed beverages (red wine and green tea) [78][79][80]. Significant amounts of gallic acid were reported in oak galls, both in the case of extraction with a conventional technique (291 mg/g dry weight (dw)) [8] and with ultrasonic-probe assisted extraction (UPAE) (130.76 mg/g dw) [43].…”

“…Ellagic acid is a dimeric gallic acid derivative, widely present in fruits (pomegranate, mango, grapes), berries (blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, cranberry, and strawberry), nuts (walnuts, pecans, chestnuts, almonds), seeds, dry fruits, and some types of honey, but also in herbs, roots, and alcoholic beverages matured in oak wooden barrels [78,81]. In oak galls, the highest amounts of ellagic acid (261,997.718 and 187,696.132 µg/g dw, respectively) were reported in two studies by Kılınçarslan Aksoy et al [10,40].…”

“…Caffeic acid, a hydroxycinnamic acid derivative, is found in various natural sources including olives, berries, potatoes, and carrots, with coffee beans being particularly rich in this compound [78]. Its concentration in oak galls varied widely among the five studies included in the review, between 0.50 mg/g dw and 589.041 mg/g dw [10,21,34,40,43].…”