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Review
. 2020 Sep 15:2020:8648742.
doi: 10.1155/2020/8648742. eCollection 2020.

Identifying Plant-Based Natural Medicine against Oxidative Stress and Neurodegenerative Disorders

Rahul Chandran  1 , Heidi Abrahamse  1
Affiliations
Review

Identifying Plant-Based Natural Medicine against Oxidative Stress and Neurodegenerative Disorders

Rahul Chandran et al. Oxid Med Cell Longev. .

Abstract

Free radicals and oxidative stress are among the most studied factors leading to the imbalance in mental health. With no exception, free radicals also damage neuronal cells, leading to various degenerative diseases. With existing modern medications, around 80% of the world population relies on herbal medicine for various ailments. Phytochemicals in plants have a wide range of pharmacological properties, the major being their ability to scavenge free radicals. Plant polyphenols are among the major class of antioxidants identified in plants. This antioxidative property of plant compounds and their ability to downgrade the process of oxidative stress can be used to treat neurodegenerative diseases. However, selecting plants and their active compounds is a crucial step in framing the mechanism of action underlying their therapeutic potential.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pathogenesis of free radicals. Free radicals and oxidative stress are responsible for the development of various diseases through various cellular and molecular processes. Among them, neurodegeneraion is the most commonly noted disorder induced by free radicals.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Antioxidant defense in neurodegenerative disorder. The radicals generated in the brain mitochondria cause damage to its DNA. Increased NADPH oxidase (NOX), nuclear factor κ B (NFκB), and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) and low levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) may cause imbalance in the neurotransmitter production. Antioxidant, on the other hand, reverses this action.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Classes of plant phenolics. The figure illustrates plant-derived compounds belonging to different classes of polyphenolics. These phenolic compounds have shown various forms of action to protect the brain from neurodegeneration.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Process of activity-guided isolation of compounds. Based on the traditional knowledge, plants were collected and processed for extraction. Extraction and solvent systems are influenced by the plant part, desired activity, targeted class of compounds, etc. Finally, the purified compound alone or in combination as crude extract is used in disease management.
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MeSH terms