Abstract

The compound 4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic acid, named ferulic acid (FA), is a ubiquitous phenolic compound distributed extensively in the plant kingdom. Ferulic acid is a boon. It has immense potential therapeutic effects in treating diabetes, cancer, pulmonary and CVS diseases majorly due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action. Ferulic acid exhibits a wide variety of biological activities such as, anticarcinogenic, antiallergic, antimicrobial, antiviral, hepatoprotective, metal chelation, activation of transcriptional factors, modulation of enzyme activity, gene expression as well as signal transduction. This active ingredient's structural characteristics make it an optimal substrate to form or synthesise various derivatives and its formulations. The present review addresses structure of ferulic acid, its pharmacodynamic parameters, applications, and its various derivatives. Besides, the review also aims to cover the main aspects related to the use of ferulic acid in the food and health industry and lists various published patents on Ferulic acid.

Keywords: Anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, antiallergic, antiviral, antioxidant, ferulic acid derivatives, published patents.