molecules Review A Review of the Health Protective Effects of Phenolic Acids against a Range of Severe Pathologic Conditions (Including Coronavirus-Based Infections) Sotirios Kiokias 1,* and Vassiliki Oreopoulou 2 1 European Research Executive Agency, Place Charles Rogier 16, 1210 Bruxelles, Belgium 2 Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Technology, School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Iron Politechniou 9, 15780 Athens, Greece;
[email protected] * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +32-49-533-2171 Abstract: Phenolic acids comprise a class of phytochemical compounds that can be extracted from various plant sources and are well known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. A few of the most common naturally occurring phenolic acids (i.e., caffeic, carnosic, ferulic, gallic, p-coumaric, rosmarinic, vanillic) have been identified as ingredients of edible botanicals (thyme, oregano, rosemary, sage, mint, etc.). Over the last decade, clinical research has focused on a number of in vitro (in human cells) and in vivo (animal) studies aimed at exploring the health protective effects of phenolic acids against the most severe human diseases. In this review paper, the authors first report on the main structural features of phenolic acids, their most important natural sources and their extraction techniques. Subsequently, the main target of this analysis is to provide an overview of the most recent clinical studies on phenolic acids that investigate their health effects against a range Citation: Kiokias, S.; Oreopoulou, V. A Review of the Health Protective of severe pathologic conditions (e.g., cancer, cardiovascular diseases, hepatotoxicity, neurotoxicity, Effects of Phenolic Acids against a and viral infections—including coronaviruses-based ones).