Ferulic acid and derivatives: molecules with potential application in the pharmaceutical field

Ferulic acid is a phenolic acid widely distributed in the plant kingdom. It presents a wide range of potential therapeutic effects useful in the treatments of cancer, diabetes, lung and cardiovascular diseases, as well as hepatic, neuro and photoprotective effects and antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities. Overall, the pharmaceutical potential of ferulic acid can be attributed to its ability to scavenge free radicals. However, recent studies have revealed that ferulic acid presents pharmacological properties beyond those related to its antioxidant activity, such as the ability to competitively inhibit HMG-CoA reductase and activate glucokinase, contributing to reduce hypercholesterolemia and hyperglycemia, respectively. The present review addresses ferulic acid dietary sources, the pharmacokinetic profile, antioxidant action mechanisms and therapeutic effects in the treatment and prevention of various diseases, in order to provide a basis for understanding its mechanisms of action as well as its pharmaceutical potential.O ácido ferúlico é um ácido fenólico amplamente distribuído no reino vegetal. Ele apresenta uma ampla gama de potenciais efeitos terapêuticos utéis no tratamento do câncer, diabetes, doenças pulmonares e cardiovasculares, bem como efeitos hepáticos, neuro e fotoprotetores, atividades antimicrobianas e anti-inflamatórias. O potencial farmacêutico do ácido ferúlico pode ser atribuído à sua capacidade em sequestrar radicais livres. No entanto, estudos recentes revelaram que o ácido ferúlico apresenta propriedades farmacológicas, além da sua atividade antioxidante, como a capacidade de inibir competitivamente a HMG-CoA redutase e ativar a glucoquinase, contribuindo para reduzir a hipercolesterolemia e hiperglicemia, respectivamente. A presente revisão aborda as fontes dietéticas de ácido ferúlico, o perfil farmacocinético, os mecanismos de ação como antioxidante e efeitos terapêuticos no tratamento e prevenção de várias doenças, de modo a proporcionar uma base para a compreensão dos seus mecanismos de ação, bem como os seus potenciais farmacêuticos

Lignins from sugarcane bagasse : renewable source of nanoparticles as Pickering emulsions stabilizers for bioactive compounds encapsulation

Lignin nanoparticles has gained interest in recent years in a wide range of applications due to its unique properties compared to the microsized material. Furthermore, lignin is obtained from lignocellulosic biomass processing and it is still considered a poorly exploited macromolecule due to the heterogeneous nature and low solubility in aqueous medium. This study focus on the comparison between two ways environmentally friendly of obtaining colloidal lignin nanoparticles (LNPs), considering minimal processing steps and employing lignins derived from two sugarcane bagasse pretreatments (alkaline and organosolv). Raw lignins and LNPs were characterized by different techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), zeta potential, dynamic light scattering (DLS), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and antioxidant assay in order to evaluate the changes in its morphological, chemical and antioxidant properties. The results showed the formation of spherical-like nanoparticles which sizes were determined by the synthesis method. LNPs obtained from alkaline lignin showed an average diameter varying from 115 to 300 nm, while LNPs obtained from organosolv lignin ranged from 270 to 680 nm, as determined by DLS. All LNPs in aqueous suspension had a zeta potential ranging from −25 to −35 mV, which is considered stable for colloidal systems. The thermal stability properties of micro to nanosized lignins were preserved. The antioxidant capacity against the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical was improved for alkaline-LNPs compared to the raw lignin (IC30 = 12 and 9.9 μg mL−1, respectively), and worsened for organosolv-LNPs compared to the raw lignin (IC30 = 11.4 and 15 μg mL−1, respectively). Furthermore, LNPs were tested as stabilizing agents of Pickering emulsions, used as encapsulation agents of curcumin, a polyphenol with a wide range of pharmacological applications. Organosolv-LNPs were seen to be the most efficient stabilizer, retaining 73% of curcumin in its encapsulated form after 96 h. Therefore, this study demonstrated the potential of nanostructured lignins for bio-based field, and also highlights the influence factors for the choice of methodology and raw lignins over the properties resulted of LNPs140The authors would like to thank Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory (LNBR/CNPEM/MCTIC) for all infrastructure available, including the Characterization of Macromolecules (MAC) open access facility, Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBIO/CNPEM/MCTIC), in particular, Silvana A. Rocco for NMR analysis (proposal number RMN-22872), Brazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory (LNNano/CNPEM/MCTIC) for microscopy analysis (proposal numbers TEM-23392 and SEM-23394), Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS/CNPEM/MCTIC) for SAXS analysis (proposal number 20180313), Erik N. Medina for Pickering emulsions photographs, Fernanda Mandelli for the help with DPPH assay and Thaynara C. Pin for the help with HSQC result