A Review on Potential Footprints of Ferulic Acid for Treatment of Neurological Disorders

• Published in: Neurochemical research Vol. 46; no. 5; pp. 1043 - 1057
• Main Authors: Thapliyal, Surabhi, Singh, Tanveer, Handu, Shailendra, Bisht, Manisha, Kumari, Puja, Arya, Priyanka, Srivastava, Pallavi, Gandham, Ravi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.05.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acids; Alzheimer's disease; Antioxidants; Bioavailability; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Blood-brain barrier; Cell Biology; Corn; Diet; Drug delivery; Drug delivery systems; Epilepsy; Ferulic acid; Flavonoids; Health services; In vivo methods and tests; Inflammation; Injury prevention; Ischemia; Lipids; Movement disorders; Nanoparticles; Neurochemistry; Neurodegenerative diseases; Neurological diseases; Neurological disorders; Neurology; Neurosciences; Parkinson's disease; Polyphenols; Reperfusion; Review; Sweetcorn; Tomatoes; Depression; Ischemia‐reperfusion injury; Alzheimer’s disease; Epilepsy; Parkinson’s disease; Ferulic acid
• ISSN: 0364-3190; 1573-6903
• DOI: 10.1007/s11064-021-03257-6

Ferulic acid is being screened in preclinical settings to combat various neurological disorders. It is a naturally occurring dietary flavonoid commonly found in grains, fruits, and vegetables such as rice, wheat, oats, tomatoes, sweet corn etc., which exhibits protective effects against a number of neurological diseases such as epilepsy, depression, ischemia-reperfusion injury, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. Ferulic acid prevents and treats different neurological diseases pertaining to its potent anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects, beside modulating unique neuro-signaling pathways. It stays in the bloodstream for longer periods than other dietary polyphenols and antioxidants and easily crosses blood brain barrier. The use of novel drug delivery systems such as solid-lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) or its salt forms (sodium ferulate, ethyl ferulate, and isopentyl ferulate) further enhance its bioavailability and cerebral penetration. Based on reported studies, ferulic acid appears to be a promising molecule for treatment of neurological disorders; however, more preclinical (in vitro and in vivo) mechanism-based studies should be planned and conceived followed by its testing in clinical settings.