Gallic acid (Benzoic acid) is found in almost all plants. Plants known for their high gallic acid content include gallnuts,grapes,tea,hops and oak bark.

Gallic acid does not protect against H(2)O(2)-induced PC12 cell death. It reduced the viability of PC12 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Gallic acid also induces cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, which is strongly related to apoptosis in neurons. Gallic acid induces the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK) and the downregulation of Bcl-2 in PC12 cells. Gallic acid leads to a progressive reduction in the viability of vector-transfected PC12 cells, which is delayed in PC12 cells that overexpressed Bcl-2[2].

Gallic acid effectively protects rat erythrocytes. The antioxidant effect of the compound at the tested dosage in vivo was more prevalent than its prooxidative effects. Gallic acid has ameliorative effect on lipid peroxidation in vivo[1].

Cell viability is measured using the MTT assay. PC12 cells are incubated at 37?C with Water2 or gallic acid at different concentrations for 24 h with or without pretreatment with resveratrol. They are then treated with the MTT solution (final concentration, 1 mg/mL) for 2 h. The dark-blue formazan crystals that formed in intact cells are dissolved in DMSO, and the absorbance at 570 nm is measured using a micro-ELISA reader.(Only for Reference)