Szulc Aneta, Wiśniewska Karolina, Żabińska Magdalena, Gaffke Lidia, Szota Maria, Olendzka Zuzanna, Węgrzyn Grzegorz, Pierzynowska Karolina
Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland.
Foods. 2024 Jun 19;13(12):1931. doi: 10.3390/foods13121931.
Over the past decades, there has been a significant increase in the burden of neurological diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders, on a global scale. This is linked to a widespread demographic trend in which developed societies are aging, leading to an increased proportion of elderly individuals and, concurrently, an increase in the number of those afflicted, posing one of the main public health challenges for the coming decades. The complex pathomechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases and resulting varied symptoms, which differ depending on the disease, environment, and lifestyle of the patients, make searching for therapies for this group of disorders a formidable challenge. Currently, most neurodegenerative diseases are considered incurable. An important aspect in the fight against and prevention of neurodegenerative diseases may be broadly understood lifestyle choices, and more specifically, what we will focus on in this review, a diet. One proposal that may help in the fight against the spread of neurodegenerative diseases is a diet rich in flavonoids. Flavonoids are compounds widely found in products considered healthy, such as fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Many studies indicated not only the neuroprotective effects of these compounds but also their ability to reverse changes occurring during the progression of diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Here, we present the main groups of flavonoids, discussing their characteristics and mechanisms of action. The most widely described mechanisms point to neuroprotective functions due to strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, accompanied with their ability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier, as well as the ability to inhibit the formation of protein aggregates. The latter feature, together with promoting removal of the aggregates is especially important in neurodegenerative diseases. We discuss a therapeutic potential of selected flavonoids in the fight against neurodegenerative diseases, based on in vitro studies, and their impact when included in the diet of animals (laboratory research) and humans (population studies). Thus, this review summarizes flavonoids' actions and impacts on neurodegenerative diseases. Therapeutic use of these compounds in the future is potentially possible but depends on overcoming key challenges such as low bioavailability, determining the therapeutic dose, and defining what a flavonoid-rich diet is and determining its potential negative effects. This review also suggests further research directions to address these challenges.
在过去几十年里，包括神经退行性疾病在内的神经系统疾病的全球负担显著增加。这与一种广泛的人口趋势有关，即发达社会正在老龄化，导致老年人口比例增加，同时，患病者数量也在增加，这构成了未来几十年主要的公共卫生挑战之一。神经退行性疾病复杂的发病机制以及由此产生的因疾病、环境和患者生活方式不同而各异的症状，使得寻找针对这组疾病的治疗方法成为一项艰巨的挑战。目前，大多数神经退行性疾病被认为无法治愈。在对抗和预防神经退行性疾病方面，一个重要的方面可以广义地理解为生活方式的选择，更具体地说，也就是我们将在本综述中重点关注的饮食。一种可能有助于对抗神经退行性疾病传播的建议是富含类黄酮的饮食。类黄酮是在水果、蔬菜和草药等被认为健康的产品中广泛存在的化合物。许多研究不仅表明了这些化合物的神经保护作用，还表明了它们逆转阿尔茨海默病、帕金森病和肌萎缩侧索硬化症等疾病进展过程中发生的变化的能力。在此，我们介绍主要的类黄酮类别，讨论它们的特性和作用机制。描述最广泛的机制指出，由于强大的抗氧化和抗炎作用，以及它们穿透血脑屏障的能力，还有抑制蛋白质聚集体形成的能力，类黄酮具有神经保护功能。后一个特性，连同促进聚集体的清除，在神经退行性疾病中尤为重要。我们基于体外研究讨论了所选类黄酮在对抗神经退行性疾病方面的治疗潜力，以及它们在动物（实验室研究）和人类（人群研究）饮食中的影响。因此，本综述总结了类黄酮对神经退行性疾病的作用和影响。这些化合物在未来的治疗应用具有潜在可能性，但取决于克服诸如低生物利用度、确定治疗剂量、定义富含类黄酮的饮食是什么以及确定其潜在负面影响等关键挑战。本综述还提出了应对这些挑战的进一步研究方向。
