Ferulic Acid as an Anti-Inflammatory Agent: Insights into Molecular Mechanisms, Pharmacokinetics and Applications
Ferulic acid (FA), a hydroxycinnamic acid derivative, is a key bioactive component in traditional medicinal plants including <i>Angelica sinensis</i> and <i>Asafoetida</i>. Accumulating evidence supports its therapeutic efficacy in inflammatory disorders, such as rheumatoid a...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Pharmaceuticals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/18/6/912 |
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| author | Jiaying Liu Yu Guan Le Yang Heng Fang Hui Sun Ye Sun Guangli Yan Ling Kong Xijun Wang |
| author_facet | Jiaying Liu Yu Guan Le Yang Heng Fang Hui Sun Ye Sun Guangli Yan Ling Kong Xijun Wang |
| author_sort | Jiaying Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ferulic acid (FA), a hydroxycinnamic acid derivative, is a key bioactive component in traditional medicinal plants including <i>Angelica sinensis</i> and <i>Asafoetida</i>. Accumulating evidence supports its therapeutic efficacy in inflammatory disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ulcerative colitis (UC). FA exerts anti-inflammatory effects through (1) the regulation of inflammatory cytokine levels; (2) modulation of signaling pathways such as nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT); (3) amelioration of oxidative stress; and (4) regulation of immune cell homeostasis. At the pharmacokinetic level, studies show that FA is rapidly absorbed but exhibits low bioavailability, mainly due to the influence of metabolic pathways and food matrix characteristics. This review systematically summarizes the literature on the anti-inflammatory effects of FA, covering molecular mechanisms, pharmacokinetic characteristics, and application scenarios. Preclinical studies show that FA has low toxicity and good safety, demonstrating potential for development as a novel anti-inflammatory drug. However, its clinical translation is hindered by bottlenecks such as low bioavailability and insufficient human clinical data. Future research should prioritize developing novel drug delivery systems and conducting large-scale clinical trials to facilitate its clinical translation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2c2a9640afcc4580bad9a45a9dfefcb3 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1424-8247 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pharmaceuticals |
| spelling | doaj-art-2c2a9640afcc4580bad9a45a9dfefcb32025-08-20T03:27:25ZengMDPI AGPharmaceuticals1424-82472025-06-0118691210.3390/ph18060912Ferulic Acid as an Anti-Inflammatory Agent: Insights into Molecular Mechanisms, Pharmacokinetics and ApplicationsJiaying Liu0Yu Guan1Le Yang2Heng Fang3Hui Sun4Ye Sun5Guangli Yan6Ling Kong7Xijun Wang8State Key Laboratory of Integration and Innovation of Classic Formula and Modern Chinese Medicine, National Chinmedomics Research Center, National TCM Key Laboratory of Serum Pharmacochemistry, Metabolomics Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Heping Road 24, Harbin 150040, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Integration and Innovation of Classic Formula and Modern Chinese Medicine, National Chinmedomics Research Center, National TCM Key Laboratory of Serum Pharmacochemistry, Metabolomics Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Heping Road 24, Harbin 150040, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Dampness Syndrome of Chinese Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Dade Road 111, Guangzhou 510000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Integration and Innovation of Classic Formula and Modern Chinese Medicine, National Chinmedomics Research Center, National TCM Key Laboratory of Serum Pharmacochemistry, Metabolomics Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Heping Road 24, Harbin 150040, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Integration and Innovation of Classic Formula and Modern Chinese Medicine, National Chinmedomics Research Center, National TCM Key Laboratory of Serum Pharmacochemistry, Metabolomics Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Heping Road 24, Harbin 150040, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Dampness Syndrome of Chinese Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Dade Road 111, Guangzhou 510000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Integration and Innovation of Classic Formula and Modern Chinese Medicine, National Chinmedomics Research Center, National TCM Key Laboratory of Serum Pharmacochemistry, Metabolomics Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Heping Road 24, Harbin 150040, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Integration and Innovation of Classic Formula and Modern Chinese Medicine, National Chinmedomics Research Center, National TCM Key Laboratory of Serum Pharmacochemistry, Metabolomics Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Heping Road 24, Harbin 150040, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Integration and Innovation of Classic Formula and Modern Chinese Medicine, National Chinmedomics Research Center, National TCM Key Laboratory of Serum Pharmacochemistry, Metabolomics Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Heping Road 24, Harbin 150040, ChinaFerulic acid (FA), a hydroxycinnamic acid derivative, is a key bioactive component in traditional medicinal plants including <i>Angelica sinensis</i> and <i>Asafoetida</i>. Accumulating evidence supports its therapeutic efficacy in inflammatory disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ulcerative colitis (UC). FA exerts anti-inflammatory effects through (1) the regulation of inflammatory cytokine levels; (2) modulation of signaling pathways such as nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT); (3) amelioration of oxidative stress; and (4) regulation of immune cell homeostasis. At the pharmacokinetic level, studies show that FA is rapidly absorbed but exhibits low bioavailability, mainly due to the influence of metabolic pathways and food matrix characteristics. This review systematically summarizes the literature on the anti-inflammatory effects of FA, covering molecular mechanisms, pharmacokinetic characteristics, and application scenarios. Preclinical studies show that FA has low toxicity and good safety, demonstrating potential for development as a novel anti-inflammatory drug. However, its clinical translation is hindered by bottlenecks such as low bioavailability and insufficient human clinical data. Future research should prioritize developing novel drug delivery systems and conducting large-scale clinical trials to facilitate its clinical translation.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/18/6/912ferulic acidanti-inflammatory mechanisminflammatory diseasespharmacokineticscytotoxicityclinical translation |
| spellingShingle | Jiaying Liu Yu Guan Le Yang Heng Fang Hui Sun Ye Sun Guangli Yan Ling Kong Xijun Wang Ferulic Acid as an Anti-Inflammatory Agent: Insights into Molecular Mechanisms, Pharmacokinetics and Applications Pharmaceuticals ferulic acid anti-inflammatory mechanism inflammatory diseases pharmacokinetics cytotoxicity clinical translation |
| title | Ferulic Acid as an Anti-Inflammatory Agent: Insights into Molecular Mechanisms, Pharmacokinetics and Applications |
| title_full | Ferulic Acid as an Anti-Inflammatory Agent: Insights into Molecular Mechanisms, Pharmacokinetics and Applications |
| title_fullStr | Ferulic Acid as an Anti-Inflammatory Agent: Insights into Molecular Mechanisms, Pharmacokinetics and Applications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ferulic Acid as an Anti-Inflammatory Agent: Insights into Molecular Mechanisms, Pharmacokinetics and Applications |
| title_short | Ferulic Acid as an Anti-Inflammatory Agent: Insights into Molecular Mechanisms, Pharmacokinetics and Applications |
| title_sort | ferulic acid as an anti inflammatory agent insights into molecular mechanisms pharmacokinetics and applications |
| topic | ferulic acid anti-inflammatory mechanism inflammatory diseases pharmacokinetics cytotoxicity clinical translation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/18/6/912 |
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