title: Ferulic acid: pharmacological and toxicological aspects.
abstract: Ferulic acid (FA) belongs to the family of phenolic acids and is very abundant in fruits and vegetables. Over the past years, several studies have shown that FA acts as a potent antioxidant by scavenging free radicals and enhancing the cell stress response through the up-regulation of cytoprotective systems, e.g. heme oxygenase-1, heat shock protein 70, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and the proto-oncogene Akt. Furthermore, FA was shown to inhibit the expression and/or activity of cytotoxic enzymes, including inducible nitric oxide synthase, caspases and cyclooxygenase-2. Based on this evidence, FA has been proposed as a potential treatment for many disorders including Alzheimer's disease, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus and skin disease. However, despite the great abundance of preclinical research, only a few studies were carried out in humans, the majority of which used foods containing FA, and therefore the clinical efficacy of this mode of administration needs to be further documented. New efforts and resources are needed in clinical research for the complete evaluation of FA therapeutic potential in chronic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmacology, Catholic University School of Medicine, Largo Francesco Vito, 1, 00168 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: cmancuso@rm.unicatt.it.
authors.forename: Cesare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mancuso
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microbiology, Catholic University School of Medicine, Largo Francesco Vito, 1, 00168 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosaria
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Santangelo
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000378:metabolism; D003373:Coumaric Acids / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D003373:Coumaric Acids; C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; C004999:ferulic acid
keywords: Aging; Biliverdin reductase; Ferulic acid; Free radicals; Heme oxygenase; Neurodegenerative disorders