Clinical Biochemistry and Clinical Molecular Biology Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy.
Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2012;2012:386527. doi: 10.1155/2012/386527. Epub 2012 May 28.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a severe chronic neurodegenerative disorder of the brain characterised by progressive impairment in memory and cognition. In the past years an intense research has aimed at dissecting the molecular events of AD. However, there is not an exhaustive knowledge about AD pathogenesis and a limited number of therapeutic options are available to treat this neurodegenerative disease. Consequently, considering the heterogeneity of AD, therapeutic agents acting on multiple levels of the pathology are needed. Recent findings suggest that phytochemicals compounds with neuroprotective features may be an important resources in the discovery of drug candidates against AD. In this paper we will describe some polyphenols and we will discuss their potential role as neuroprotective agents. Specifically, curcumin, catechins, and resveratrol beyond their antioxidant activity are also involved in antiamyloidogenic and anti-inflammatory mechanisms. We will focus on specific molecular targets of these selected phytochemical compounds highlighting the correlations between their neuroprotective functions and their potential therapeutic value in AD.
阿尔茨海默病（AD）是一种严重的慢性脑部神经退行性疾病，其特征是记忆和认知能力逐渐受损。在过去的几年中，人们进行了大量的研究，旨在剖析 AD 的分子事件。然而，对于 AD 的发病机制还没有详尽的了解，并且可用的治疗方法数量有限，无法治疗这种神经退行性疾病。因此，考虑到 AD 的异质性，需要作用于病理学多个层面的治疗药物。最近的研究结果表明，具有神经保护特性的植物化学物质可能是发现针对 AD 的药物候选物的重要资源。在本文中，我们将描述一些多酚，并讨论它们作为神经保护剂的潜在作用。具体来说，姜黄素、儿茶素和白藜芦醇除了具有抗氧化活性外，还参与抗淀粉样蛋白形成和抗炎机制。我们将重点介绍这些选定的植物化学化合物的特定分子靶点，强调它们的神经保护功能与其在 AD 中的潜在治疗价值之间的相关性。
