Assessment of cytotoxic properties of sinapic acid in vitro

Phenolic compounds, a group of plant metabolites, are of considerable interest because of their antioxidant properties. Sinapic acid, a phenolic compound, is widely distributed in various fruits and vegetables. It is suggested to show some pharmacological effects such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer. However, there is not enough data about the cytotoxicity of sinapic acid; the available data are limited. This study was aimed to assess the cytotoxic profiles of sinapic acid in a wide range of concentrations for 18 h exposure in two different cell lines, Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts (V79) and human cervical carcinoma (HeLa) cells using Neutral Red Uptake assay. The concentrations up to 500 µM and 2000 µM had no significant effect on V79 and HeLa cells, respectively, but the cell viabilities decreased below 50% at concentrations higher than 1000 µM and 5000 µM for V79 and HeLa cells, respectively. IC50 values were found to be 1860 µM and 7248 µM in V79 and HeLa cells, respectively. This study has shown that sinapic acid have no cytotoxic effects in two different cell lines except at very high concentrations.