title: Bioactivity of phenolic acids: metabolites versus parent compounds: a review.
abstract: Phenolic acids are present in our diet in different foods, for example mushrooms. Due to their bioactive properties, phenolic acids are extensively studied and there is evidence of their role in disease prevention. Nevertheless, in vivo, these compounds are metabolized and circulate in the organism as glucuronated, sulphated and methylated metabolites, displaying higher or lower bioactivities. To clarify the importance of the metabolism of phenolic acids, knowledge about the bioactivity of metabolites is extremely important. In this review, chemical features, biosynthesis and bioavailability of phenolic acids are discussed, as well as the chemical and enzymatic synthesis of their metabolites. Finally, metabolite bioactive properties are compared with that of the corresponding parental compounds.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigação de Montanha, Escola Superior Agrária, Campus de Santa Apolónia, apartado 1172, 5301-854 Bragança, Portugal; Centro de Química, Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Sandrina A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Heleno
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigação de Montanha, Escola Superior Agrária, Campus de Santa Apolónia, apartado 1172, 5301-854 Bragança, Portugal.
authors.forename: Anabela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.affiliation: Centro de Química, Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Maria João R P
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Queiroz
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigação de Montanha, Escola Superior Agrária, Campus de Santa Apolónia, apartado 1172, 5301-854 Bragança, Portugal. Electronic address: iferreira@ipb.pt.
authors.forename: Isabel C F R
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Ferreira
mesh_terms: D000363:Agaricales / Q000737:chemistry*; D001682:Biological Availability; D006801:Humans; D062385:Hydroxybenzoates / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D062385:Hydroxybenzoates; C017616:phenolic acid
keywords: Bioactivity; Biosynthesis/bioavailability; Chemical/enzymatic synthesis; Metabolites; Mushrooms; Phenolic acids