Roles of anti- and pro-oxidant potential of cinnamic acid and phenylpropanoid derivatives in modulating growth of cultured cells.

Cinnamic acid (CiA) and phenylpropanoid derivatives are widely distributed in plant foods. In this study, anti- and pro-oxidant properties of the derivatives and their roles in modulating cell growth were investigated. Ferulic acid, sinapinic acid, caffeic acid (CaA), and 3,4-dihydroxyhydrocinnamic acid (DHC) showed strong radical scavenging activities. They, except DHC, also performed considerable inhibitory effects on lipid peroxidation and reduced levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). CaA and DHC, however, produced substantial amount of H2O2 with oxidative degradation in culture conditions. CaA and DHC (> 400 μM) showed potent cytotoxic effects which were abolished by superoxide dismutase/catalase; they significantly enhanced cell growth ROS-dependently at low levels (~ 100 μM). CiA derivatives without bearing hydroxyl group did not show any appreciable antioxidant activities. The results indicate that CiA derivatives with ortho-dihydroxyl group had strong anti- and pro-oxidant properties, which also play an important role in modulating cell growth. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-022-01042-x. © The Korean Society of Food Science and Technology 2022.