Yuan Heng, Zhou Junyu, Li Hongbao, Kang Suna, Park Sunmin
Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China.
Institute of Advanced Clinical Medicine, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Jul 12;26(14):6698. doi: 10.3390/ijms26146698.
Memory impairment, ranging from mild memory impairment to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, poses an escalating global health challenge that necessitates multi-targeted interventions to prevent progression. Health functional foods (HFFs), which include bioactive dietary compounds that not only provide basic nutrition but also function beyond that to modulate physiological pathways, offer a promising non-pharmacological strategy to preserve memory function. This review presents an integrative framework for the discovery, evaluation, and clinical translation of biomarkers responsive to HFFs in the context of preventing memory impairment. We examine both established clinical biomarkers, such as amyloid-β and tau in the cerebrospinal fluid, neuroimaging indicators, and memory assessments, as well as emerging nutritionally sensitive markers including cytokines, microRNAs, gut microbiota signatures, epigenetic modifications, and neuroactive metabolites. By leveraging systems biology approaches, we explore how network pharmacology, gut-brain axis modulation, and multi-omics integration can help to elucidate the complex interactions between HFF components and memory-related pathways such as neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, synaptic plasticity, and metabolic regulation. The review also addresses the translational pipeline for HFFs, from formulation and standardization to regulatory frameworks and clinical development, with an emphasis on precision nutrition strategies and cross-disciplinary integration. Ultimately, we propose a paradigm shift in memory health interventions, positioning HFFs as scientifically validated compounds for personalized nutrition within a preventative memory function framework.
记忆障碍，从轻度记忆障碍到神经退行性疾病如阿尔茨海默病，构成了日益严峻的全球健康挑战，这需要多靶点干预措施来防止病情进展。健康功能性食品（HFFs），包括生物活性膳食化合物，这些化合物不仅提供基本营养，还具有调节生理途径的额外功能，为维持记忆功能提供了一种有前景的非药物策略。本综述提出了一个综合框架，用于在预防记忆障碍的背景下发现、评估和临床转化对HFFs有反应的生物标志物。我们研究了既定的临床生物标志物，如脑脊液中的淀粉样β蛋白和tau蛋白、神经影像学指标以及记忆评估，以及新兴的营养敏感标志物，包括细胞因子、微小RNA、肠道微生物群特征、表观遗传修饰和神经活性代谢物。通过利用系统生物学方法，我们探索网络药理学、肠-脑轴调节和多组学整合如何有助于阐明HFF成分与记忆相关途径（如神经炎症、氧化应激、突触可塑性和代谢调节）之间的复杂相互作用。该综述还讨论了HFFs从配方制定、标准化到监管框架和临床开发的转化流程，重点是精准营养策略和跨学科整合。最终，我们提出记忆健康干预的范式转变，将HFFs定位为在预防性记忆功能框架内经过科学验证的个性化营养化合物。
