Phénols

Vanillic acid is a potent free radical scavenger, thus, it exerts protective effects in isoproterenol induced cardiotoxic rats due to its free radical scavenging, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Ellagic acid, a naturally occurring plant phenol, inhibits the activity of the direct-acting mutagen N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MeNU) in Salmonella typhimurium TA100, is due to specific inhibition of methylation at the O6 position of guanine through an ellagic acid-duplex DNA affinity-binding mechanism.

Echinacoside is a natural polyphenolic compound, has various kinds of pharmacological activities, such as anti-senescence, anti-hypoxia, anti-cancer, anti-osteoporosis, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, nitric oxide radical-scavenging and vasodilative ones. Echinacoside can improve the hematopoietic function of bone marrow in 5-FU-induced myelosuppression mice, it induces apoptotic cancer cell death by inhibiting the nucleotide pool sanitizing enzyme MTH1. Echinacoside inhibits cytochrome c release and caspase-3 activation caused by ensuing rotenone exposure via activating Trk-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway in neuronal cells.

2-(3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl)ethanol has antioxidant properties; it is a potent specific inhibitor of lipoxygenase activities, it inhibits platelet 12-LO activity (IC50, 4.2 microM) and PMNL 5-LO activity (IC50, 13 microM) but not cyclooxygenase activity in cell-free conditions; it also inhibits 12-LO activity in intact platelets (IC50, 50 microM) and reduces leukotriene B4 production in intact PMNL stimulated by A23187 (IC50, 26 microM).