Department of Anatomy, Dongguk University College of Medicine, 123 Dongdae-ro, Gyeongju 38066, Korea.
Plasma Bioscience Research Center, Plasma Bio-display, Kwangwoon University, Seoul-01897, Korea.
Curr Pharm Des. 2021;27(3):383-401. doi: 10.2174/1381612826666200628022812.
Plant-derived sterols, phytosterols, are well known for their cholesterol-lowering activity in serum and their anti-inflammatory activities. Recently, phytosterols have received considerable attention due to their beneficial effects on various non-communicable diseases, and recommended use as daily dietary components. The signaling pathways mediated in the brain by phytosterols have been evaluated, but little is known about their effects on neuroinflammation, and no clinical studies have been undertaken on phytosterols of interest. In this review, we discuss the beneficial roles of phytosterols, including their attenuating effects on inflammation, blood cholesterol levels, and hallmarks of the disease, and their regulatory effects on neuroinflammatory disease pathways. Despite recent advancements made in phytosterol pharmacology, some critical questions remain unanswered. Therefore, we have tried to highlight the potential of phytosterols as viable therapeutics against neuroinflammation and to direct future research with respect to clinical applications.
植物固醇，又称植物甾醇，因其在血清中降低胆固醇的活性和抗炎活性而广为人知。最近，由于其对各种非传染性疾病的有益作用，植物固醇受到了相当多的关注，并被推荐作为日常饮食的组成部分。植物固醇在大脑中介导的信号通路已经得到了评估，但人们对它们对神经炎症的影响知之甚少，也没有针对感兴趣的植物固醇进行临床研究。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了植物固醇的有益作用，包括它们对炎症、血液胆固醇水平和疾病特征的减弱作用，以及它们对神经炎症疾病途径的调节作用。尽管植物固醇药理学最近取得了一些进展，但仍有一些关键问题尚未得到解答。因此，我们试图强调植物固醇作为治疗神经炎症的可行疗法的潜力，并针对临床应用指导未来的研究。
