Therapeutic perspectives of<i>p</i>‑coumaric acid: Anti‑necrotic, anti‑cholestatic and anti‑amoebic activities

Abstract

Phenolic acids are phytochemical compounds derived from plant biomass materials, that have notable health benefits with high therapeutic potential in several diseases. <em>p</em>‑coumaric acid (<em>p</em>‑CA) is a phenolic acid that displays various biological activities, such as antioxidant, anti‑inflammatory, analgesic and anti‑antimicrobial properties. However, the ability of <em>p</em>‑CA to prevent hepatic necrosis and cholestasis induced by various harmful agents has not yet been explored to date, at least to the best of our knowledge, and there is no evidence that <em>p</em>‑CA exerts an anti‑parasitic effect. Therefore, the present study employed male Wistar rats, and the study was divided into two experimental <em>in vivo</em> parts. A liver necrosis model was established using carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) for 24 h, and a cholestasis model induced by common bile duct ligation (BDL) for 48 h was also established. On the other hand, the <em>Entamoeba histolytica</em> HM1:IMSS strain was used as <em>in vitro</em> model employing Trypan blue cell viability assay. The results revealed that <em>p</em>‑CA treatment significantly reduced the levels of the necrosis biomarker, alanine aminotransferase, and completely prevented the increase in the levels of the cholestasis markers, alkaline phosphatase and γ‑glutamyl transpeptidase in rats intoxicated with CCl₄ as well as in those subjected to BDL. Macroscopic observations and the hematoxylin and eosin staining results were consistent with the biochemical determinations, providing evidence of the hepatoprotective effects of <em>p</em>‑CA. Moreover, 500 µM <em>p</em>‑CA inhibited the growth of <em>Entamoeba histolytica</em>, 26.5% at 12 h and 41.5% at 24 h compared with the controls. Thus, to the best of our knowledge, these findings provide the first evidence that <em>p</em>‑CA prevents liver damage induced by CCl₄ or BDL (necrosis and cholestasis) and exhibits amoebostatic activity against <em>Entamoeba histolytica</em>.