Department of Biochemistry, University of Allahabad, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Bradenton, FL, USA.
Adv Nutr. 2021 Jul 30;12(4):1211-1238. doi: 10.1093/advances/nmab007.
Ellagic acid (EA) is a dietary polyphenol present in various fruits, vegetables, herbs, and nuts. It exists either independently or as part of complex structures, such as ellagitannins, which release EA and several other metabolites including urolithins following absorption. During the past few decades, EA has drawn considerable attention because of its vast range of biological activities as well as its numerous molecular targets. Several studies have reported that the oxidative stress-lowering potential of EA accounts for its broad-spectrum pharmacological attributes. At the biochemical level, several mechanisms have also been associated with its therapeutic action, including its efficacy in normalizing lipid metabolism and lipidemic profile, regulating proinflammatory mediators, such as IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α, upregulating nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 and inhibiting NF-κB action. EA exerts appreciable neuroprotective activity by its free radical-scavenging action, iron chelation, initiation of several cell signaling pathways, and alleviation of mitochondrial dysfunction. Numerous in vivo studies have also explored the neuroprotective attribute of EA against various neurotoxins in animal models. Despite the increasing number of publications with experimental evidence, a critical analysis of available literature to understand the full neuroprotective potential of EA has not been performed. The present review provides up-to-date, comprehensive, and critical information regarding the natural sources of EA, its bioavailability, metabolism, neuroprotective activities, and underlying mechanisms of action in order to encourage further studies to define the clinical usefulness of EA for the management of neurological disorders.
鞣花酸（EA）是一种存在于各种水果、蔬菜、草药和坚果中的膳食多酚。它可以独立存在，也可以作为鞣花单宁等复杂结构的一部分存在，这些结构在吸收后会释放 EA 和其他几种代谢物，包括尿石素。在过去的几十年中，由于其广泛的生物活性以及众多的分子靶点，EA 引起了相当大的关注。一些研究报告称，EA 降低氧化应激的潜力解释了其广谱的药理特性。在生化水平上，也有几种机制与它的治疗作用有关，包括它在调节脂质代谢和血脂谱、调节促炎介质（如 IL-6、IL-1β 和 TNF-α）、上调核因子红细胞 2 相关因子 2 和抑制 NF-κB 作用方面的疗效。EA 通过其自由基清除作用、铁螯合作用、启动几种细胞信号通路以及缓解线粒体功能障碍发挥显著的神经保护活性。许多体内研究还探讨了 EA 在动物模型中对各种神经毒素的神经保护作用。尽管有越来越多的实验证据的出版物，但尚未对现有文献进行批判性分析，以了解 EA 的全部神经保护潜力。本综述提供了关于 EA 的天然来源、生物利用度、代谢、神经保护活性及其作用机制的最新、全面和批判性信息，以鼓励进一步的研究来确定 EA 在管理神经紊乱方面的临床用途。
