Sinapinic Acid

Sinapic acid is widespread in the plant kingdom (fruits, vegetables, cereal grains, oilseed crops, and some spices and medicinal plants). Sinapic acid shows antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and anti-anxiety activity. Sinapic acid inhibits nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation in macrophages. Via NF-κB inactivation sinapic acid suppresses the expression of proinflammatory mediators such as inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-1β. Sinapic acid exerts an inhibitory effect against tumorigenic colon cells, but a low influence on breast cancer cells. It also shows antiproliferative action (ability to prevent, or retard, the spread of malignant cells into surrounding tissue) on the human breast cancer T47D cell line^[1].

Sinapic acid is an important anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) agent. Its anxiolytic-like effect is mediated by the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmitter system. Sinapic acid might act like the agonist of a specific GABA receptor. Due to its metal-chelating ability, it has a protective effect against arsenic-induced toxicity in rats as measured by the activities of serum hepatospecific enzymes, together with lipid peroxidative markers^[1]. SA inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced NO, prostaglandin E2, tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β production in a dose-dependent manner through the suppression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2, and proinflammatory cytokines expressions. In addition, SA exhibits cognitive-ameliorating effects in a CO2- or scopolamine-induced mouse amnesic model. It attenuates Aβ1-42 protein-induced hippocampal neuronal cell death and thus exhibits neuroprotection against Aβ protein-induced neuronal injuries^[2].