Research progress on synthesis and application of caffeic acid phenethyl ester in propolis

Abstract

Propolis has been widely used in foods and health care products to prevent diseases due to its various and prominent biological activities. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester(CAPE) is the main active component of propolis, which has been widely studied for its various pharmacological effects such as antioxidation, anti-inflammation, antitumor, antibacterial activities, immunovegularion, and so on. The content of CAPE is very low in nature, and the traditional extraction method of CAPE is time-consuming and costly, so efficient and mass preparation for CAPE has become a research hotspot. The CAPE with high purity can be obtained by ultrasonic extraction. Knoevenagel condensation reaction can be applied to its industrial production with high yield. Based on the analysis of the latest progress in extraction and separation, synthetic methods, pharmacological activity, and other aspects of CAPE, the research status of CAPE was reviewed, and the development prospect and the research trend of CAPE were provided, which are to explore the preparation method with high practicability and generality and relatively simple operation, and to conduct in-depth and detailed research on the mechanism of CAPE.

Keywords

• medicinal chemistry; propolis; caffeic acid phenethyl ester; synthetic methods; pharmacological activity