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Cancer is a global health concern with a dynamic rise in occurrence and one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Among different types of cancer, ovarian cancer (OC) is the seventh most diagnosed malignant tumor, while among the gynecological malignancies, it ranks third after cervical and uterine cancer and sadly bears the highest mortality and worst prognosis. First-line treatments have included a variety of cytotoxic and synthetic chemotherapeutic medicines, but they have not been particularly effective in extending OC patients' lives and are associated with side effects, recurrence risk, and drug resistance. Hence, a shift from synthetic to phytochemical-based agents is gaining popularity, and researchers are looking into alternative, cost-effective, and safer chemotherapeutic strategies. Lately, studies on the effectiveness of phenolic acids in ovarian cancer have sparked the scientific community's interest because of their high bioavailability, safety profile, lesser side effects, and cost-effectiveness. Yet this is a road less explored and critically analyzed and lacks the credibility of the novel findings. Phenolic acids are a significant class of phytochemicals usually considered in the nonflavonoid category. The current review focused on the anticancer potential of phenolic acids with a special emphasis on chemoprevention and treatment of OC. We tried to summarize results from experimental, epidemiological, and clinical studies unraveling the benefits of various phenolic acids (hydroxybenzoic acid and hydroxycinnamic acid) in chemoprevention and as anticancer agents of clinical significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different plant-derived bioactive compounds have the potential to be used for medical applications. One of the native medicinal shrub plant species in the Mediterranean area is Micromeria fruticosa from the Lamiaceae family. In the present work, the antioxidant activity, antimicrobial activity, phytochemical screening analysis, total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) were determined for plant extracts of M. fruticosa collected from Jordan. Furthermore, the identification of phenolic compounds was done using liquid chromatography. Results showed that strong antioxidant activity (93.54%) was obtained from butanol extract while water extract exhibited the weakest antioxidant activity (13.7%). The essential oil extract showed the most potent activities against different types of bacteria compared to butanol and aqueous methanol extracts, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 0.2–0.75 mg/ml. The phytochemical analysis of M. fruticosa showed the presence of flavonoid, alkaloids, phenols, and tannins in all solvents extract, with maximal phytochemical compounds obtained from butanol extract. The highest TPC, TFC values were measured butanol extract of M. fruticosa, whereas the lowest values were measured for water extract. The ions chromatographic analyses (RP-HPLC) for phenolic compounds present in extracts fraction revealed that the most abundant phenolic acids were gallic acid and ellagic acid. Results indicate that M. fruticosa extracts may be used in drug industry as a source of effective compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to determine phytochemical contents, antibacterial properties, and antibiotic modulating potential of Punica granatum leaf extracts: hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and aqueous extracts as well as an extract enriched with total oligomer flavonoids (TOFs). The TOF extract contained the highest value of phenols and flavonoids. Rutin, luteolin, gallic acid, and ellagic acid were determined by HPLC analysis of this extract. The antibacterial activity was assayed by the disc diffusion method and microdilution method against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli standard ATCC strains and clinical isolates resistant strains. The TOF extract was the most active against all tested strains. The checkerboard method was used for the determination of synergy between two antibiotics (amoxicillin and cefotaxime) and P. granatum leaf extracts. The best synergistic interaction was found with TOF extract combined with amoxicillin for penicillin-resistant E. coli and penicillin-resistant S. aureus. These results can be assigned to tannins, flavonoids, and phenolic acids found in P. granatum leaf extracts. Pomegranate leaf extracts or active compounds isolated from these extracts could be used to fight the emergence and spread of resistant bacterial strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research concerning the benefits derived from dietary polyphenols, a significant class within the family of phytonutrients, has increased considerably in the last decade. Prior to the late 1990s, the nutritional spotlight focused on the antioxidant capabilities of carotenoids, vitamins, and minerals. More recently, however, research has emerged in strong support of the antioxidant capacity of polyphenols and their role in the prevention and/or treatment of certain cancers, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and inflammation. Polyphenols are categorized according to the nature of their carbon skeleton, ranging from basic phenolic molecules to highly complex compounds, such as flavonoids, the most common and widely studied of all phenolic compounds. The most prevalent phenolic acids include ellagic acid, gallic acid, tannic acid, and capsaicin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]