Dimethyl biphenyl-4,4'-dicarboxylate is used as a hepatoprotectant in the treatment of chronic hepatitis. At 250 μg/ml, it has been shown to stimulate JAK/STAT signaling and to induce the expression of interferon-α stimulated genes in a HepG2 cell line. It has been used to study hepatic fibrosis and chronic hepatocellular damage. It appears to normalize alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in cases where levels of ALT are elevated. It may be employed as starting reagent for the synthesis of dimethyl 2-fluoro-and 2,2?-difluorobiphenyl-4,4?-dicarboxylates.
Dimethyl biphenyl-4,4′-dicarboxylate is a planar biphenyldicarboxylic acid ester. Crystal data of dimethyl biphenyl-4, 4′-dicarboxylate has been reported.