Chapter 28 - Management of Alzheimer’s Disease with nutraceuticals

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Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is regarded as one of the hallmark outcomes of an aging brain, and it is characterized by sequential loss of memory and changes in brain mass. In the advanced stage of the disease, a patient hardly recognizes the family members and fellow beings. Alzheimer’s disease represents one of the major contributors to the development of dementia, which is characterized by the formation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in brain tissues. In the recent past, several efforts pertaining to drug discovery have been made to interfere with the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. However, so far, no FDA approved drug is available to prevent or cure the disease. In recent days, generous attention is being given to formulating food-based therapeutic strategies to interfere with disease development and mitigate the symptoms. These food-based therapeutic formulations are loaded with critical bioactive compounds that provide specific health benefits in addition to supplementing fundamental nutrition. In the future, an amalgamation of modern knowledge of bioactive molecules with the traditional wisdom of food formulation will lead to the designing of a disease-specific therapeutic regime to prevent and cure numerous chronic diseases. Ayurveda, a herbal-based system of traditional medicines and therapeutic strategies, native to India and the Indian subcontinent, offers a number of unique strategies to prevent, delay, and cure various mental illnesses, including AD. It epitomizes the holistic method of treatment and promotes equilibrium in various dimensions of human existence and unification of the body, mind, and soul. There are several formulations that have claimed to slow down the age-related mental illnesses, and in general, enhance memory retention and improve cognitive behaviors. Some of the key bioactive molecules that serve as potential ingredients of nutraceuticals are obtained from native plants such as Turmeric (Curcuma longa), Tea (Camilla sinensis), Gingko (Ginkgo biloba), Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), Black pepper (Piper nigrum L.), Ginger (Zingiber officinale), etc. The efficiency and efficacy of these plants, which have been tested for the last 2000 years, show the richness of the ancient and ethnic Indian traditional knowledge. However, the effects of these preparations on biochemical processes of disease development at the molecular level are yet to be worked out. Nevertheless, in recent years, the needs for detailed pharmacological and toxicological studies have received the attention of researchers across the globe, and investigations are going on to substantiate the claimed pharmacological and therapeutic effects. This chapter will provide outlines of the current understanding of molecular mechanisms and hypotheses leading to the development of age-related mental illnesses and dementia in particular. It will also explore the existing therapeutic strategies, their limitations, and exploration of new possibilities, including the application of nutraceuticals, which in addition to providing basic nutrition signal, would also provide neuroprotective health benefits with minimum side effects.