Potencial terapêutico da vanilina e seus principais metabólitos na regulação da resposta inflamatória e estresse oxidativo

Abstract

Many phenolic compounds found in foods and medicinal plants have shown interesting therapeutic potential and have attracted the attention of the pharmaceutical industry as promising pharmacologically active compounds in health promotion and disease prevention. Vanillin is a phenolic aldehyde, widely used as a flavoring agent in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries. A variety of pharmacological activities has been attributed to this compound and its main metabolites, vanillic acid and vanillyl alcohol, including their ability to inhibit the inflammation. Considering that the inflammatory process is related to several pathologies, including new diseases with few therapeutic options, the discovery of new anti-inflammatory agents capable of modulating inflammation becomes necessary. Thus, the aim of this study is discuss the therapeutic potential of vanillin and its main metabolites in the treatment of inflammatory diseases and discuss their antioxidant actions. Thus, a literature review was carried out using scientific articles available in the Pubmed database, published between 2008 and 2017, about the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of vanillin and its main metabolites. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the consumption of foods containing vanillin and its metabolites should contribute to the maintenance of health and better quality of life, since the compounds mentioned demonstrated the potential for clinical use as candidates for anti-inflammatory drugs against a range of diseases, especially neurodegenerative diseases. However, further studies should be performed to better understand the different mechanisms of action of these compounds and to establish their toxicological safety for clinical screening.