Ethyl caffeate explained

Ethyl caffeate is an ester of a hydroxycinnamic acid, a naturally occurring organic compound.

Natural occurrences

It can be found in Bidens pilosa,^[1] in Polygonum amplexicaule var. sinense.

It is also found in Huáng bǎi, one of the fifty fundamental herbs of traditional Chinese medicine, also known also as Cortex Phellodendri, the bark of one of two species of Phellodendron tree: Phellodendron amurense or Phellodendron chinense.^[2]

It is also found in wines such as Verdicchio, a white wine from Marche, Italy.^[3]

Health effects

Ethyl caffeate suppresses NF-kappaB activation and its downstream inflammatory mediators, iNOS, COX-2 and PGE2 in vitro or in mouse skin.^[1]

Ethyl caffeate administered intraperitoneally in rats previously is able to prevent the dimethylnitrosamine-induced loss in body and liver weight, as well as to reduce the degree of liver injury. It can be considered as a promising natural compound for future application in chronic liver disease.^[3]

Pharmacophore modeling, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation studies also indicate that ethyl caffeate is a potential inhibitor of the aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2), a key enzyme for the biosynthesis of aldosterone, which plays a significant role for the regulation of blood pressure.^[4]

Chemistry

Ethyl caffeate reacts with methylamine to produce green pigments.^[5]

See also

• Phenolic compounds in wine

Notes and References

1. 10.1038/sj.bjp.0706343. Ethyl caffeate suppresses NF-κB activation and its downstream inflammatory mediators, iNOS, COX-2, and PGE2in vitroor in mouse skin. 2005. Chiang. Yi-Ming. Lo. Chiu-Ping. Chen. Yi-Ping. Wang. Sheng-Yang. Yang. Ning-Sun. Kuo. Yueh-Hsiung. Shyur. Lie-Fen. British Journal of Pharmacology. 146. 3. 352–63. 16041399. 1576288.
2. Wang . M . Ji . TF . Yang . JB . Su . YL . Studies on the chemical constituents of Phellodendron chinense . Zhong Yao Cai . 32 . 2 . 208–10 . 2009 . 19504962 .
3. 10.1002/jssc.200900304. Ethyl caffeate from Verdicchio wine: Chromatographic purification and in vivo evaluation of its antifibrotic activity. 2009. Boselli. Emanuele. Bendia. Emanuele. Di Lecce. Giuseppe. Benedetti. Antonio. Frega. Natale G.. Journal of Separation Science. 32. 21. 3585–90. 19813225. free.
4. Luo. Ganggang. Lu. Fang. Qiao. Liansheng. Chen. Xi. Li. Gongyu. Zhang. Yanling. Discovery of Potential Inhibitors of Aldosterone Synthase from Chinese Herbs Using Pharmacophore Modeling, Molecular Docking, and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Studies. BioMed Research International. 2016. 2016. 1–8. 2314-6133. 10.1155/2016/4182595. 27781210. 5065998 . free .
5. 7334427. 1981. Matsui. T. Greening pigments produced reaction of ethyl caffeate with methylamine. 27. 6. 573–82. Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology. 10.3177/jnsv.27.573 . free.