Syringic acid is a naturally occurring phenolic compound and dimethoxybenzene that is commonly found as a plant metabolite.

Natural occurrence

Syringic acid can be found in several plants including '' Ardisia elliptica'' and ''

Schumannianthus dichotomus ''Schumannianthus dichotomus'', also known as 'cool mat', was first described by Roxburgh, with its current name after Gagnepain. The plant belongs to the family Marantaceae and no subspecies are listed. ''S. dichotomus'' is typically found in ...

''.

Synthesis

Syringic acid can be prepared by selectively hydrolyzing ( demethylating) eudesmic acid with 20% sulfuric acid.

Presence in food

Syringic acid can be found in several fruits including olives, dates, spices, pumpkin, grapes, acai palm, honey, red wine, among others. Its presence in the ancient Egyptian drink shedeh could confirm it was made out of grape, as syringic acid is released by the breakdown of the compound malvidin, also found in

red wine Red wine is a type of wine made from dark-colored grape varieties. The color of the wine can range from intense violet, typical of young wines, through to brick red for mature wines and brown for older red wines. The juice from most purple gra ...

. It is also found in

vinegar Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to ...

Applications

Various studies have found syringic acid to exhibit useful pharmaceutical properties such as anti-oxidant, anti-microbial,

anti-inflammation Anti-inflammatory is the property of a substance or treatment that reduces inflammation or Swelling (medical), swelling. Anti-inflammatory drugs, also called anti-inflammatories, make up about half of analgesics. These drugs remedy pain by reducing ...

, anti-cancer, and

anti-diabetic Drugs used in diabetes treat diabetes mellitus by altering the glucose level in the blood. With the exceptions of insulin, most GLP receptor agonists ( liraglutide, exenatide, and others), and pramlintide, all are administered orally and are ...

. Syringic acid can be enzymatically polymerised.

Laccase Laccases () are multicopper oxidases found in plants, fungi, and bacteria. Laccases oxidize a variety of phenolic substrates, performing one-electron oxidations, leading to crosslinking. For example, laccases play a role in the formation of l ...

and peroxidase induced the polymerization of syringic acid to give a poly(1,4-phenylene oxide) bearing a

carboxylic acid In organic chemistry, a carboxylic acid is an organic acid that contains a carboxyl group () attached to an R-group. The general formula of a carboxylic acid is or , with R referring to the alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, or other group. Carboxyl ...

at one end and a

phenol Phenol (also called carbolic acid) is an aromatic organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a white crystalline solid that is volatile. The molecule consists of a phenyl group () bonded to a hydroxy group (). Mildly acidic, it ...

ic hydroxyl group at the other.

References

{{Progestogenics Trihydroxybenzoic acids O-methylated natural phenols Progestogens

Natural occurrence

Synthesis

Presence in food

Applications

See also

References