Potential Therapeutic Implications of Caffeic Acid in Cancer Signaling: Past, Present, and Future

Manzar Alam; Ghulam Md Ashraf; Kayenat Sheikh; Anish Khan; Sabeeha Ali; Md Meraj Ansari; Mohd Adnan; Visweswara Rao Pasupuleti; Md Imtaiyaz Hassan

doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.845871

Potential Therapeutic Implications of Caffeic Acid in Cancer Signaling: Past, Present, and Future

Front Pharmacol. 2022 Mar 9:13:845871. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.845871. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Manzar Alam¹, Ghulam Md Ashraf^{2

3}, Kayenat Sheikh⁴, Anish Khan^{5

6}, Sabeeha Ali¹, Md Meraj Ansari⁷, Mohd Adnan⁸, Visweswara Rao Pasupuleti^{9

10

11}, Md Imtaiyaz Hassan¹

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Basic Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India.
² Pre-Clinical Research Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
³ Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Computer Science, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India.
⁵ Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Centre for Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, Department of Pharmaceutics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, SAS Nagar Mohali, India.
⁸ Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Hail, Hail, Saudi Arabia.
⁹ Department of Biomedical Sciences and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.
¹⁰ Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Abdurrab University, Pekanbaru, Indonesia.
¹¹ Centre for International Collaboration and Research, Reva University, Bangalore, India.

Abstract

Caffeic acid (CA) has been present in many herbs, vegetables, and fruits. CA is a bioactive compound and exhibits various health advantages that are linked with its anti-oxidant functions and implicated in the therapy and prevention of disease progression of inflammatory diseases and cancer. The anti-tumor action of CA is attributed to its pro-oxidant and anti-oxidant properties. CA's mechanism of action involves preventing reactive oxygen species formation, diminishing the angiogenesis of cancer cells, enhancing the tumor cells' DNA oxidation, and repressing MMP-2 and MMP-9. CA and its derivatives have been reported to exhibit anti-carcinogenic properties against many cancer types. CA has indicated low intestinal absorption, low oral bioavailability in rats, and pitiable permeability across Caco-2 cells. In the present review, we have illustrated CA's therapeutic potential, pharmacokinetics, and characteristics. The pharmacological effects of CA, the emphasis on in vitro and in vivo studies, and the existing challenges and prospects of CA for cancer treatment and prevention are discussed in this review.

Keywords: anti-cancer; anti-oxidant activity; bioavailability; caffeic acid; cancer; clinical trials.

Publication types

Review