Recent developments in the pharmacological properties of 4'-geranyloxyferulic acid, a colon cancer chemopreventive agent of natural origin.

3-(4'-Geranyloxy-3'-methoxyphenyl)-2-trans propenoic acid (4'-geranyloxyferulic acid, GOFA) is a secondary metabolite biosynthetically related to ferulic acid in which a geranyl chain is attached to the phenolic group, extracted in 1966 from Acronychia baueri Schott (Fam. Rutaceae). In the last decade the pharmacological properties of the title compound began to be characterized, revealing its good activity as anti-inflammatory and dietary feeding cancer chemopreventive agent. The aim of this review is to examine in detail the recently reported properties of 4'-geranyloxyferulic acid from a chemical and pharmacological point of view, including the recent acquisition about its mechanism of action.