Objectives: Ferulsinaic acid is the first member of a new rearranged class of sesquiterpene coumarins of the genus Ferula. The genus Ferula can be used for the treatment of skin infections, hysteria and for stomach disorders, such as a febrifuge and a carminative agent. The effect of ferulsinaic acid on the lifespan of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been examined. Novel data explaining the effect of ferulsinaic acid on the lifespan of C. elegans and its antioxidant power were obtained.
Methods: C. elegans was cultivated under standard laboratory conditions in absence and presence of different ferulsinaic acid. Also, animals were cultivated under heat and chemical stress conditions in absence and presence of ferulsinaic acid. Life span assay, determination of protein concentration, assay of malondialdehyde and ELISA for determination of AGEs were performed.
Key findings: Under standard laboratory conditions and in presence of ferulsinaic acid (500 nm, 10 µm and 100 µm), mean life span of wild type animals was significantly lengthened in a dose-dependent manner from 18.64 ± 0.19 days (control) to 19 ± 0.19 (P = 0.695), 20.76 ± 0.25 (P = 0.043) and 22.3 ± 0.29 (P = 0.0291), respectively. Interestingly, in C. elegans resistance for heat stress at 35°C and oxidative stress induced by paraquat were significantly improved with ferulsinaic acid. Ferulsinaic acid was found to significantly attenuate both lipid peroxidation and the formation of advanced glycation end products in the wild-type animals under standard laboratory conditions.
Conclusions: Ferulsinaic acid had therapeutic efficacy as an antioxidant with the possibility of its use as an antioxidant drug.
© 2011 The Author. JPP © 2011 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.