Dietary polyphenols and neurogenesis: Molecular interactions and implication for brain ageing and cognition

Abstract

The increased number of elderly people worldwide poses a major medical and socio-economic challenge: the search of strategies to combat the consequences of the aging process. Oxidative stress and inflammation have been pointed out as the leading causes of brain aging, which in turn alters the functionality of brain. In this context, decline in adult neurogenesis (AN), due to modifications in the neural progenitor stem cells (NSCs) and their microenvironment, is among the aging alterations contributing to cognitive decline. Therefore, the consumption or administration of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory molecules, such as dietary polyphenols, is under study as a potential beneficial strategy for preventing brain aging alterations including AN decline. Polyphenols, through their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, modulate several cascades and effectors involved in the regulation of AN (e.g., SIRT1, Wnt, NF-κB and Nrf2, among others). This work summarizes the latest discoveries regarding the mechanisms whereby polyphenols preserve AN and counteract the cognitive decline present in aging.

Keywords: Adult neurogenesis; Aging; Cognition; Inflammation; Oxidative stress; Polyphenols; SIRT1.