Compound Monograph
Sinapic acid
Sinapic acid is a hydroxycinnamic (phenolic) acid — the 3,5-dimethoxy sibling of ferulic and caffeic acid — abundant in mustard and rapeseed/canola (largely as its choline ester, sinapine), whole grains and Brassica vegetables. A strong antioxidant on the bench with a deep but entirely preclinical record in neuroprotection, anxiety, inflammation and diabetes models; no human trials of the isolate exist.
Sources · 7
Where Does It Come From?
Sinapic acid is a naturally occurring hydroxycinnamic acid (phenolic), found in Mustard seed, Rapeseed / canola, Whole grains and 4 other sources. It is well tolerated orally (low toxicity).
Concentration
Content by Source
Concentrations not reported. No percent-dry-weight or mg/g figures have been published for this compound in its source plants.
Sinapic acid at a Glance
Sinapic acid is a hydroxycinnamic acid — the 3,5-dimethoxy sibling of ferulic and caffeic acid — and it is abundant in mustard and rapeseed, largely as its choline ester sinapine, as well as in whole grains and Brassica vegetables.
Because canola is one of the world’s major oil crops, sinapic acid is among the more abundantly produced plant phenolics on the planet, and it is a well-characterised dietary antioxidant.
What It's Used For
Sinapic acid is a hydroxycinnamic acid — the 3,5-dimethoxy analogue of ferulic acid and caffeic acid — abundant in the Brassicaceae, where it circulates largely as its choline ester sinapine. Its best-characterized property is antioxidant: two methoxy groups plus a para-hydroxyl make it a strong hydrogen donor, and it is a notable peroxynitrite scavenger 1,
Its deepest preclinical bench is neurological, but the honest headline holds across the page — every efficacy claim is in-vitro or rodent, with no human trials of the isolate.
Support is an experimental score — weighted by study type (human > animal > in vitro) and volume. A beta, not a validated metric. No human isolate trials exist, so scores are capped low.
The dimethoxy/hydroxyl structure makes sinapic acid a strong hydrogen/electron donor — it scavenges DPPH, ABTS, superoxide and notably peroxynitrite 12Reference 12Peroxynitrite-scavenging activity of sinapic acid isolated from Brassica junceaView study →, and induces Nrf2/HO-1 in organ-protection models 1Reference 1Sinapic acid and its derivatives: natural sources and bioactivityView study →.
Gap: chemical-assay antioxidant capacity does not establish in-vivo antioxidant benefit in humans; no isolate human data 1,
Sinapic acid shows anxiolytic-like behavior in mice reported to be GABA-A-mediated (flumazenil-reversible) 4Reference 4AnimalAnxiolytic-like effects of sinapic acid in miceView study →, and neuroprotection in an amyloid-β Alzheimer’s mouse model 5Reference 5AnimalNeuroprotective effect of sinapic acid in a mouse model of amyloid-β(1-42)-induced Alzheimer’s diseaseView study → and a 6-OHDA hemi-parkinsonian rat model 6Reference 6AnimalThe neuroprotective potential of sinapic acid in the 6-hydroxydopamine-induced hemi-parkinsonian ratView study →, consolidated in a 2024 mechanism review 7Reference 7Pharmacological activities and molecular mechanisms of sinapic acid in neurological disordersView study →.
Gap: all animal; the GABA-A mechanism rests on one behavioral study, not receptor-confirmed across labs, and there is no human neuro/anxiety data 4Reference 4AnimalAnxiolytic-like effects of sinapic acid in miceView study →.
Sinapic acid suppresses NF-κB signaling and induces Nrf2/HO-1 across an acetic-acid ulcerative-colitis model 8Reference 8AnimalSinapic acid ameliorates acetic-acid-induced ulcerative colitis in ratsView study → and diabetic cardiomyopathy/nephropathy models 9Reference 9AnimalSinapic acid ameliorates cardiac dysfunction and cardiomyopathy by modulating NF-κB and Nrf2/HO-1 in STZ-induced diabetic ratsView study →.
Gap: the anti-inflammatory effect is embedded in disease-model studies, not isolated, with no human data 8,
Sinapic acid is antihyperglycemic in diabetic rats 10Reference 10AnimalAntihyperglycemic action of sinapic acid in diabetic ratsView study →, with downstream heart and kidney protection via Nrf2/HO-1 and NF-κB in STZ models 9Reference 9AnimalSinapic acid ameliorates cardiac dysfunction and cardiomyopathy by modulating NF-κB and Nrf2/HO-1 in STZ-induced diabetic ratsView study →.
Gap: rodent STZ models only; the glucose-lowering magnitude and mechanism are not defined in humans 9,
Sinapic acid is pro-apoptotic and anti-proliferative in PC-3 and LNCaP prostate cancer cell lines 11Reference 11Anticancer mechanism of sinapic acid in PC-3 and LNCaP human prostate cancer cell linesView study →.
Gap: in-vitro cell lines only, with no in-vivo tumor or human evidence — clearly experimental 11Reference 11Anticancer mechanism of sinapic acid in PC-3 and LNCaP human prostate cancer cell linesView study →.
Mechanisms
| Target / pathway | Effect | Relevant to |
|---|---|---|
| Direct radical scavenging (DPPH, ABTS, superoxide, peroxynitrite) | H-atom/electron donation neutralizes ROS/RNS | antioxidant |
| Nrf2 / HO-1 | induced → upregulated antioxidant defense | antioxidantdiabetic organ protection |
| NF-κB | suppressed → ↓ pro-inflammatory cytokines | anti-inflammatorycolitiscardiomyopathy |
| GABA-A receptor (reported, flumazenil-reversible) | positive modulation → anxiolytic-like behavior | anxiolytic |
| Apoptotic signaling (in vitro) | pro-apoptotic in prostate lines | anticancer (preclinical) |
Pharmacokinetics
Sinapic acid is absorbed but extensively metabolized and conjugated — bioavailability is moderate at best. As a hydroxycinnamic acid it undergoes phase-II conjugation (glucuronidation/sulfation) and O-methylation, and in food it circulates substantially as its choline ester sinapine and as bound sinapate esters that require hydrolysis before absorption 1,
Clinical trials
There are no registered or published human clinical trials of isolated sinapic acid for any indication. All efficacy data are in-vitro or rodent; human exposure is dietary only (mustard, rapeseed/canola products, whole grains, some vegetables and berries).
| Completed | Planned | Terminated | Preclinical |
|---|---|---|---|
| —(none, isolate) | — | — | Extensive |
Last checked: July 2026.
Toxicity & Safety
Sinapic acid is an everyday dietary phenolic with no notable toxicity signal at studied doses. The only real caution belongs to hypothetical concentrated supplements rather than to food — a rat drug-interaction finding.
- A common dietary phenolic. Routinely eaten in mustard, whole grains and Brassica vegetables, with generally favorable safety in animal models.
- Dietary amounts fine, isolated supplements not. Avoid concentrated use in pregnancy and lactation.
- CYP-inhibition interaction in rats. Raised exposure of dasatinib and aripiprazole; relevant only to hypothetical supplement doses, not to food.
Full Safety & Interactions Detail
Sinapic acid is a common dietary phenolic acid, consumed routinely in mustard, whole grains and Brassica vegetables, and reviews report no notable toxicity signal at studied doses with generally favorable safety in animal models 1,
Dosage
There is no established human dose — sinapic acid is not sold or standardized as an isolate for a defined indication, and intake is dietary and unquantified in practice. All dosing figures in the literature are animal (mg/kg oral in rodent models) and do not translate to a human recommendation.
References
- Nićiforović N, Abramovič H (2014). Sinapic acid and its derivatives: natural sources and bioactivity. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33412688/
- Chen C (2016). Sinapic acid and its derivatives as medicine in oxidative-stress-induced diseases and ageing. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27069529/
- Pandi A, Kalappan VM (2021). Pharmacological and therapeutic applications of sinapic acid — an updated review. Molecular Biology Reports. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33988797/
- Yoon BH, et al. (2007). Anxiolytic-like effects of sinapic acid in mice. Life Sciences. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17570441/
- Lee HE, Kim DH, Park SJ, et al. (2012). Neuroprotective effect of sinapic acid in a mouse model of amyloid-β(1-42)-induced Alzheimer’s disease. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22971592/
- Zare K, Eidi A, Roghani M, et al. (2015). The neuroprotective potential of sinapic acid in the 6-hydroxydopamine-induced hemi-parkinsonian rat. Metabolic Brain Disease. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25123753/
- Farzan M, Abedi B, Bhia I, et al. (2024). Pharmacological activities and molecular mechanisms of sinapic acid in neurological disorders. ACS Chemical Neuroscience. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39082749/
- Shahid M, Raish M, Ahmad A, et al. (2022). Sinapic acid ameliorates acetic-acid-induced ulcerative colitis in rats. Molecules. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35807383/
- Raish M, Ahmad A, Bin Jardan YA, et al. (2022). Sinapic acid ameliorates cardiac dysfunction and cardiomyopathy by modulating NF-κB and Nrf2/HO-1 in STZ-induced diabetic rats. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34768051/
- Cherng YG, Tsai CC, Chung HH, et al. (2013). Antihyperglycemic action of sinapic acid in diabetic rats. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24261449/
- Eroğlu C, Avcı E, Vural H, et al. (2018). Anticancer mechanism of sinapic acid in PC-3 and LNCaP human prostate cancer cell lines. Gene. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29792952/
- Zou Y, et al. (2002). Peroxynitrite-scavenging activity of sinapic acid isolated from Brassica juncea. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12358454/
- Shahid M, Ahmad A, Raish M, et al. (2023). Herb-drug interaction: effect of sinapic acid on the pharmacokinetics of dasatinib in rats. Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37860687/
