IRC-FSH Department of Health Sciences, University "Magna Græcia" of Catanzaro, Campus Universitario di Germaneto, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy.
Nutramed S.c.a.r.l, Complesso Ninì Barbieri, Roccelletta di Borgia, 88021 Catanzaro, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Apr 9;21(7):2618. doi: 10.3390/ijms21072618.
The neurodegenerative process is characterized by the progressive ultrastructural alterations of selected classes of neurons accompanied by imbalanced cellular homeostasis, a process which culminates, in the later stages, in cell death and the loss of specific neurological functions. Apart from the neuronal cell impairment in selected areas of the central nervous system which characterizes many neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Huntington's Disease, etc.), some alterations may be found in the early stages including gliosis and the misfolding or unfolding accumulation of proteins. On the other hand, several common pathophysiological mechanisms can be found early in the course of the disease including altered oxidative metabolism, the loss of cross-talk among the cellular organelles and increased neuroinflammation. Thus, antioxidant compounds have been suggested, in recent years, as a potential strategy for preventing or counteracting neuronal cell death and nutraceutical supplementation has been studied in approaching the early phases of neurodegenerative diseases. The present review will deal with the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the early stages of the neurodegenerative process. In addition, the potential of nutraceutical supplementation in counteracting these diseases will be assessed.
神经退行性过程的特征是特定类别的神经元的渐进性超微结构改变，伴随着细胞内平衡的失衡，这个过程在后期导致细胞死亡和特定神经功能的丧失。除了许多神经退行性疾病（如阿尔茨海默病、帕金森病、亨廷顿病等）中中枢神经系统特定区域的神经元损伤外，在早期阶段还可能发现一些改变，包括神经胶质增生和蛋白质的错误折叠或展开积累。另一方面，在疾病的早期阶段可以发现几种常见的病理生理机制，包括氧化代谢改变、细胞细胞器之间的通讯丧失以及神经炎症增加。因此，近年来抗氧化化合物被认为是预防或对抗神经元细胞死亡的一种潜在策略，并且营养补充剂已被用于研究神经退行性疾病的早期阶段。本文综述将讨论神经退行性过程早期阶段的病理生理机制。此外，还将评估营养补充剂在对抗这些疾病方面的潜力。
