Polyphenols, Alkaloids, and Terpenoids Against Neurodegeneration: Evaluating the Neuroprotective Effects of Phytocompounds Through a Comprehensive Review of the Current Evidence

At least your competent? doctor has known of polyphenols and has been working on them for years already, right? Oh no, you DON'T HAVE A FUNCTIONING STROKE DOCTOR, DO YOU?

• polyphenols (26 posts to September 2012)

With your extra risk of dementia post stroke, you doctor has a lot of work to do to prevent dementia! YOUR DOCTOR'S RESPONSIBILITY! Don't let your doctor weasel out of that! Your doctors have had over a decade to accomplish that! Were they competent at that or not?

1. A documented 33% dementia chance post-stroke from an Australian study?   May 2012.

2. Then this study came out and seems to have a range from 17-66%. December 2013.`    

3. A 20% chance in this research.   July 2013.

4. Dementia Risk Doubled in Patients Following Stroke September 2018

5. Brain Bleeds Double Dementia Risk February 2025

The latest here:

Polyphenols, Alkaloids, and Terpenoids Against Neurodegeneration: Evaluating the Neuroprotective Effects of Phytocompounds Through a Comprehensive Review of the Current Evidence

by 

Enzo Pereira de Lima

 1,

Lucas Fornari Laurindo

 1,

Vitor Cavallari Strozze Catharin

 1,

Rosa Direito

 2,

Masaru Tanaka

 3,

Iris Jasmin Santos German

 4,

Caroline Barbalho Lamas

 5,

Elen Landgraf Guiguer

 1,6,

Adriano Cressoni Araújo

 1,6,

Adriana Maria Ragassi Fiorini

 7 and

Sandra Maria Barbalho

 1,6,*

1

Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Universidade de Marília (UNIMAR), Marília 17525-902, São Paulo, Brazil

2

Laboratory of Systems Integration Pharmacology, Clinical and Regulatory Science, Research Institute for Medicines, Universidade de Lisboa (iMed.ULisboa), Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal

3

HUN-REN-SZTE Neuroscience Research Group, Danube Neuroscience Research Laboratory, Hungarian Research Network, University of Szeged (HUN-REN-SZTE), Tisza Lajos Krt. 113, H-6725 Szeged, Hungary

4

Department of Biological Sciences (Anatomy), School of Dentistry of Bauru, University of São Paulo (FOB-USP), Alameda Doutor Octávio Pinheiro Brisolla, 9-75, Bauru 17012-901, São Paulo, Brazil

5

Department of Gerontology, School of Gerontology, Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar), São Carlos 13565-905, São Paulo, Brazil

6

Postgraduate Program in Structural and Functional Interactions in Rehabilitation, University of Marília (UNIMAR), Marília 17525-902, São Paulo, Brazil

7

Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition, School of Food and Technology of Marília (FATEC), Marília 17500-000, São Paulo, Brazil

*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Metabolites 2025, 15(2), 124; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo15020124

Submission received: 24 December 2024 / Revised: 7 February 2025 / Accepted: 9 February 2025 / Published: 13 February 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plants and Plant-Based Foods for Metabolic Disease Prevention)

Abstract

Neurodegenerative diseases comprise a group of chronic, usually age-related, disorders characterized by progressive neuronal loss, deformation of neuronal structure, or loss of neuronal function, leading to a substantially reduced quality of life. They remain a significant focus of scientific and clinical interest due to their increasing medical and social importance. Most neurodegenerative diseases present intracellular protein aggregation or their extracellular deposition (plaques), such as α-synuclein in Parkinson’s disease and amyloid beta (Aβ)/tau aggregates in Alzheimer’s. Conventional treatments for neurodegenerative conditions incur high costs and are related to the development of several adverse effects. In addition, many patients are irresponsive to them. For these reasons, there is a growing tendency to find new therapeutic approaches to help patients. This review intends to investigate some phytocompounds’ effects on neurodegenerative diseases. These conditions are generally related to increased oxidative stress and inflammation, so phytocompounds can help prevent or treat neurodegenerative diseases. To achieve our aim to provide a critical assessment of the current literature about phytochemicals targeting neurodegeneration, we reviewed reputable databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, and COCHRANE, seeking clinical trials that utilized phytochemicals against neurodegenerative conditions. A few clinical trials investigated the effects of phytocompounds in humans, and after screening, 13 clinical trials were ultimately included following PRISMA guidelines. These compounds include polyphenols (flavonoids such as luteolin and quercetin, phenolic acids such as rosmarinic acid, ferulic acid, and caffeic acid, and other polyphenols like resveratrol), alkaloids (such as berberine, huperzine A, and caffeine), and terpenoids (such as ginkgolides and limonene). The gathered evidence underscores that quercetin, caffeine, ginkgolides, and other phytochemicals are primarily anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective, counteracting neuroinflammation, neuronal oxidation, and synaptic dysfunctions, which are crucial aspects of neurodegenerative disease intervention in various included conditions, such as Alzheimer’s and other dementias, depression, and neuropsychiatric disorders. In summary, they show that the use of these compounds is related to significant improvements in cognition, memory, disinhibition, irritability/lability, aberrant behavior, hallucinations, and mood disorders.

Ragweed compounds could protect nerve cells from Alzheimer’s

You likely will need this. 

1. A documented 33% dementia chance post-stroke from an Australian study?   May 2012.

2. Then this study came out and seems to have a range from 17-66%. December 2013.

3. A 20% chance in this research.   July 2013.

4. Dementia Risk Doubled in Patients Following Stroke September 2018

What is your stroke hospital doing to ensure this is tested out on humans?

Ragweed compounds could protect nerve cells from Alzheimer’s

Neuroscience NewsMay 15, 2019

FeaturedNeurologyNeuroscience3 min read

Summary: Compounds derived from common ragweed may help in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers report when two of the most active compounds were added to a sample of neurons producing amyloid beta, 20% more cells survived than without exposure.
Source: ACS
As spring arrives in the northern hemisphere, many people are cursing ragweed, a primary culprit in seasonal allergies. But scientists might have discovered a promising new use for some substances produced by the pesky weed. In ACS’ Journal of Natural Products, researchers have identified and characterized ragweed compounds that could help nerve cells survive in the presence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) peptides.
Those with AD, a neurodegenerative disorder, often have impaired judgment, cognition, memory and behavior. Scientists have linked AD to the accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides in the brain, which form plaques that kill nerve cells. Unfortunately, the five drugs currently approved for AD treatment only delay disease progression for a short time. When Won Keun Oh and colleagues screened 300 natural plant extracts for activity against AD in a preliminary study, they found a surprising candidate: Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed). This invasive weed, native to North America, has now spread to South America, Asia and much of Europe. Oh and colleagues decided to isolate and characterize the structures of ragweed compounds responsible for this neuroprotective activity.

When Won Keun Oh and colleagues screened 300 natural plant extracts for activity against AD in a preliminary study, they found a surprising candidate: Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed). The image is in the public domain.

The researchers isolated 14 compounds from whole ragweed plants that appeared to protect neurons from Aβ-induced toxicity. They determined the structures of the compounds with nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry and other analytical techniques. Seven of the chemicals, including terpenoids and spermidine conjugates, had been described previously, but the remainder were newly identified terpenoids. When the researchers added the two most active new compounds to a lab dish that contained neurons producing Aβ, about 20 percent more cells survived than without treatment.
Funding: The authors acknowledge funding from the National Research Foundation of Korea.

About this neuroscience research article

Source:
ACS
Media Contacts:
Katie Cottingham – ACS
Image Source:
The image is in the public domain.
Original Research: Closed access
“Eudesmane Glycosides from Ambrosia artemisiifolia (Common Ragweed) as Potential Neuroprotective Agents”. Jin-Pyo An, Thi Kim Quy Ha, Hyun Woo Kim, Byeol Ryu, Jinwoong Kim, Junsoo Park, Chul Ho Lee, and Won Keun Oh.
Journal of Natural Products. doi:10.1021/acs.jnatprod.8b00841
Abstract
Eudesmane Glycosides from Ambrosia artemisiifolia (Common Ragweed) as Potential Neuroprotective Agents
In Alzheimer’s disease, amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation in the brain results in neuronal cell death and is one of the major causes of dementia. Because the current therapeutic agents are not yet sufficiently effective or safe, there have been attempts to find new neuroprotective chemicals against Aβ-induced cytotoxicity. A 70% EtOH extract of whole plants of Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed) was selected after the screening of a natural extract library. Seven new eudesmane-type glycosides and seven known compounds were obtained through bioactivity-guided fractionation from the aerial parts of this plant. Their structures were determined on the basis of their nuclear magnetic resonance spectra, high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry analysis, and electronic circular dichroism calculations. Among them, compounds showed protective effects against Aβ-induced cytotoxicity in Aβ42-transfected HT22 cells. The most active compounds, exhibited moderate protective activity dose-dependently (10, 20, and 40 μM