Neuroprotective and Anti-Inflammatory Properties from the Bioactive Constituents of Myracrodruon Urundeuva, a Brazilian Medicinal Species

Abstract

Affecting more than 7 million people worldwide [1], Parkinson's disease (PD) remains cureless, leading patients to death in approximately 16-years after the onset of symptoms [2]. In spite of the large number of possibilities in pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments, these offer only symptomatic relieve to patients. Hence, the first effective therapeutic option available, Levodopa, remains the most effective one, despite not altering the natural history of the disease [3]. Although the refinement of the pharmacological treatment, achieved over the years, reflects a significant improvement in the quality of life of those affected by the pathology, research is focusing on efforts to the discovery of effective neuroprotective strategies against the PD's progression. PD is characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons and the presence of alpha-synuclein in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNPc). Clinical and preclinical studies, as well, support a role of neuroinflammation in the PD pathophysiology, pointing to chronic neuroinflammation as one of the hallmarks of the diseasy [4,5]. Importantly, neuroinflammation is considered a target for neuroprotection actions [6], thus, neuroprotective agents, mainly those from natural sources, could be potential agents to be used for PD prevention and treatment.