Ferulic Acid: A Hope for Alzheimer’s Disease Therapy from Plants

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the deposition of extracellular amyloid-beta peptide (Aβ) and intracellular neurofibrillar tangles, associated with loss of neurons in the brain and consequent learning and memory deficits. Aβ is the major component of the senile plaques and is believed to play a central role in the development and progress of AD both in oligomer and fibril forms. Inhibition of the formation of Aβ fibrils as well as the destabilization of preformed Aβ in the Central Nervous System (CNS) would be an attractive therapeutic target for the treatment of AD. Moreover, a large number of studies indicate that oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction may play an important role in AD and their suppression or reduction via antioxidant use could be a promising preventive or therapeutic intervention for AD patients. Many antioxidant compounds have been demonstrated to protect the brain from Aβ neurotoxicity. Ferulic acid (FA) is an antioxidant naturally present in plant cell walls with anti-inflammatory activities and it is able to act as a free radical scavenger. Here we present the role of FA as inhibitor or disaggregating agent of amyloid structures as well as its effects on biological models.

Ferulic acid attenuates brain microvascular endothelial cells damage caused by oxygen-glucose deprivation via punctate-mitochondria-dependent mitophagy

“…Nowadays, it has been approved beneficial for a variety of serious chronic diseases, such as intestinal ischemia (Huang, 2015), cancer (Serafim et al, 2011), cardiovascular disease (Ardiansyah et al, 2008), skin diseases (Lin et al, 2005), diabetes (Jung et al, 2007), cochlea oxidative damage caused by repeated noise exposure (Fetoni et al, 2013), and oxidative stress of human dermal fibroblasts (Calabrese et al, 2008). In addition, the free radical scavenging activity of FA can relieve a variety of neurodegenerative disease, especially Alzheimer's disease (Sgarbossa et al, 2015;Sultana, 2012). It was reported that FA reverted oxidative stress induced by Abeta in LAN5 neuronal cells (Picone et al, 2009).…”

Pretreatment of Ferulic Acid Protects Human Dermal Fibroblasts against Ultraviolet A Irradiation

“…According to previous studies, ferulic acid has antioxidant and anticancer properties131415. Ferulic acid has been shown to impart beneficial effects in diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and cardiovascular disease by regulating antioxidant enzyme and caspase activities, COX-2, and hypertension161718. In the skin, ferulic acid has been shown to have a protective effect on UVB-induced erythema19.…”

The Role of the Gut Microbiota in the Metabolism of Polyphenols as Characterized by Gnotobiotic Mice

“…into 4-vinylguaiacol and hydroferulic acid [76]. Further breakdown converts these products into the caffeic and vanillic acid, which have potent therapeutic effects especially in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) [77]. Soya-ioflavone daidzein is converted exclusively in equol only by Adlercreutiza equolifaciens, giving it a greater pro-estrogenic effect [78] Furthermore, the conversion of ellagic acid into urolithin is conducted by Gordonibacter urolithinfaciens; however the accumulation of the variety of biotransformaion products was dependent on the presence of the complex microbiota [79].…”