Gallic acid

Gallic acid, also known as 3,4,5-Trihydroxybenzoic acid, is a natural polyhydroxyphenolic compound commonly found in many fruits and plants, including grapes, tea, and oak bark, either in the free acid form or esterified as gallotannins and ellagitannins. Existing research suggests that this plant-derived metabolite is an astringent, a cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and histone acetyltransferase inhibitor, and an apoptosis inducer with various biological activities. These activities include antioxidant, antifungal, gastroprotective, neuroprotective, cardioprotective, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-tyrosinase, and anticancer effects.

Gallic acid has been used:

• as a standard for the quantification of extractable phenolics by external calibration
• as a standard to determine the total tannin content of oak root powder using the Folin-Ciocalteu method
• as a phenolic acid to study it′s in vitro antiviral, antibacterial, cytotoxicity and antifungal activities

Gallic acid is a natural product derived from plant source that finds application in compound screening libraries, metabolomics, phytochemical and biochemical research.

Gallic acid is a water soluble phenolic acid present in grapes and in the leaves of many plants. Gallic acid esters, such as tannins, catechin gallates and aliphatic gallates are potent antioxidants in vitro. However, gallic acid itself also appears to have antioxidant, anticarcinogenic and antiangiogenic activity in vitro.