FA15, a hydrophobic derivative of ferulic acid, suppresses inflammatory responses and skin tumor promotion: comparison with ferulic acid

Abstract In our previous study, FA15 (2-methyl-1-butyl ferulic acid) was chemically synthesized as a novel ferulic acid (FA) analog, and found to notably suppress phorbol ester-induced Epstein–Barr virus activation and superoxide anion generation in vitro. In this report, we demonstrated that FA15, in contrast to FA, markedly suppressed the combined lipopolysaccharide and interferon-γ-induced protein expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2, and also inhibited the release of tumor necrosis factor-α accompanied by suppression of I-κB degradation in RAW264.7, a murine macrophage cell line. In ICR mouse skin, topical application of FA15 significantly attenuated phorbol ester-triggered hydrogen peroxide production and edema formation as well as papilloma development while that of FA did not. Our results suggest that FA15, derived from natural sources, is a novel chemopreventive agent, both structurally and functionally.