Nutraceuticals in Parkinson’s Disease

Abstract

Current pharmacological strategies for Parkinson’s disease (PD), the most common neurological movement disorder worldwide, are predominantly symptom relieving and are often plagued with undesirable side effects after prolonged treatment. Despite this, they remain as the mainstay treatment for PD due to the lack of better alternatives. Nutraceuticals are compounds derived from natural food sources that have certain therapeutic value and the advent of which has opened doors to the use of alternative strategies to tackle neurodegenerative diseases such as PD. Notably, nutraceuticals are able to position themselves as a “safer” strategy due to the fact that they are naturally derived compounds, therefore possibly having less side effects. Significant efforts have been put into better comprehending the role of nutraceuticals in PD, and we will look at some of them in this review. Broadly speaking, these compounds execute their positive effects via modulating signalling pathways, inhibiting oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis, as well as regulating mitochondrial homoeostasis. Importantly, we will highlight how a component of green tea, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), confers neuroprotection in PD via its ability to activate AMP kinase and articulate how its beneficial effects in PD are possibly due to enhancing mitochondrial quality control.

Molecular and Cellular Substrates for the Friedreich Ataxia. Significance of Contactin Expression and of Antioxidant Administration

“…However, these opposite effects were sustained by similar pathogenetic mechanisms as they were both counteracted upon antioxidant (EGCG) administration [ 28 , 65 ], consistent with the hypothesis that FA is to be primarily considered as a disorder of the oxidative metabolism [ 11 , 12 , 22 , 41 ]. In addition, this is also consistent with the protective effects of antioxidant treatment against tissue damage, demonstrated in distinct neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson disease [ 70 , 71 ], Alzheimer Disease [ 72 ], as well as some forms of dementia [ 51 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 ].…”

The biology of ergothioneine, an antioxidant nutraceutical

“…Note, however, that at least one mushroom trial indicated no measurable benefits in healthy young physical education students (514) . Brain and serum ERG levels are also markedly different in Parkinson's disease (515) , reviewed in Hang et al (516) , Shao & Le (517) and Shah & Duda (518) , and even in sudden infant death syndrome (519) , and ERG has been shown to be protective against β-amyloid-induced neuronal injury (520) and cytotoxicity (521) . It can also act as an antidepressant (522) .…”

The Sources of Reactive Oxygen Species and Its Possible Role in the Pathogenesis of Parkinson’s Disease

“…In light of the above-mentioned evidence on the crucial role of ROS in the pathogenesis of PD, anti-ROS therapy has been an attractive strategy to counteract the oxidative stress-induced neuronal cell death in PD [ 87 ]. Classic antioxidants mainly include vitamin C, vitamin E, Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), GSH, NAC, and creatine.…”