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Review
. 2022 Nov 27;23(23):14835.
doi: 10.3390/ijms232314835.

The Neuroprotective Potentiality of Flavonoids on Alzheimer's Disease

Antonella Calderaro  1 , Giuseppe Tancredi Patanè  1 , Ester Tellone  1 , Davide Barreca  1 , Silvana Ficarra  1 , Francesco Misiti  2 , Giuseppina Laganà  1
Affiliations
Review

The Neuroprotective Potentiality of Flavonoids on Alzheimer's Disease

Antonella Calderaro et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD), due to its spread, has become a global health priority, and is characterized by senile dementia and progressive disability. The main cause of AD and other neurodegenerations (Huntington, Parkinson, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) are aggregated protein accumulation and oxidative damage. Recent research on secondary metabolites of plants such as polyphenols demonstrated that they may slow the progression of AD. The flavonoids' mechanism of action in AD involved the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, Tau protein aggregation, β-secretase, oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis through modulation of signaling pathways which are implicated in cognitive and neuroprotective functions, such as ERK, PI3-kinase/Akt, NFKB, MAPKs, and endogenous antioxidant enzymatic systems. This review focuses on flavonoids and their role in AD, in terms of therapeutic potentiality for human health, antioxidant potential, and specific AD molecular targets.

Keywords: apigenin; cyanidin 3-o-glucoside; epicatechin-3-gallate; flavonoids; genistein; gossypetin; myricetin; naringenin; neuroprotection; quercetin.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of the main features of Alzheimer’s disease. (↑ increase; ↓ decrease).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic representation of the basic structures of flavonoid subclasses.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Schematic effects of described flavonoids on molecular targets of AD.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Schematic effects of quercetin on molecular targets of AD.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Schematic effects of naringenin on molecular targets of AD.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Schematic effects of epigallocatechin-3-gallate on molecular targets of AD.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Schematic effects of myricetin on molecular targets of AD.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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