Therapeutic potential of ferulic acid and its derivatives in Alzheimer’s disease—A systematic review

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder primarily caused by accumulation of amyloid‐beta (Aβ) peptide extracellularly and neurofibrillary tangles intracellularly. Recently, it has been shown that oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysregulation play an important role in pathology of AD. Therefore, modulating various targets such as Aβ aggregation, neuro‐inflammation, and oxidative stress, genetic factors such as Apolipoprotein E gene (ApoE) are some of the ways to manage AD. Studying the natural products which can act as multifunctional agents could be key toward discovering new therapeutics. Ferulic acid (FA) represents one such natural product, which has exhibited great potential in this regard. Found in the plant cell walls, FA is an antioxidant, free radical scavenger with anti‐inflammatory activity. Taking this into consideration, over the years, various derivatives have been reported as anti‐AD molecules based on structure of FA. The present review explores the role of FA and its derivatives as therapeutic agents in AD. Combination of FA with moieties like tacrine, glycerol, o‐alkyl amine has been explored along with use of alkyl spacers. Design of other privileged scaffolds and common fragments in AD therapeutics literature as derivatives of FA could be beneficial in generating novel multifunctional molecules for the treatment of AD.