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Institute of Pharmacology, ZAFES, Biocenter
Niederursel, University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt,
Germany.
In the 21st century, human aging
will be one of the biggest challenges for
most societies throughout the world. The
decline in human fitness is a typical hallmark
of the aging process. Aside from the cardiovascular
system, the brain most often suffers significantly
from the life-long impact of stressors, such
as reactive oxygen and nitrogen species.
Oxytosis, i.e. oxidative stress-induced cell
death, has been identified to play a major
role in the development and onset of chronic
diseases.
Foods, especially of plant origin,
are rich in antioxidants and numerous in
vivo data suggest that a diet rich in fruits
and vegetables supports the maintenance of
animal and human health. These beneficial
effects also extend to the central nervous
system, which, due to the presence of the
blood-brain barrier, tightly controls the
influx of metabolites and nutrients.
In earlier
studies the impact of antioxidant vitamins,
such as alpha-tocopherol and ascorbic acid,
on brain health has been of interest. Recently,
the focus moved to assessing the potential
of unsaturated fatty acids and secondary
plant metabolites, particularly of polyphenols,
to act as neuroprotectants.
Considerable
experimental evidence suggests that polyphenols
and other plant-derived bioactivities affect
animal and human brain function not only
by directly lowering oxidative stress load
but also by modulating various signal transduction
pathways.
PMID: 16917175 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] |
