Chapter 46 - Coffee and its Active Compounds are Neuroprotective

Abstract

Epidemiological studies suggest that both caffeinated coffee and decaffeinated coffee are neuroprotective. Data obtained from in vitro, in vivo, and human clinical trials have indicated that coffee exhibits protective effects against Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Thus, the active coffee compounds that underlie these effects are under investigation. To date, studies of coffee on brain health have primarily focused on the role of its well-known component caffeine as an antagonist of adenosine receptors. Apart from caffeine, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and kahweol have also been shown to contribute the neuropharmacological activities of coffee, by virtue of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Because neurodegenerative disorders are strongly associated with oxidative stress and inflammation, negation of these pathological phenomena by coffee components likely contributes to their neuroprotective activities. Trigonelline, a compound present in coffee beans, has regenerative activity on dendrites and axons. This chapter focuses on the protective effects of coffee and its main active compounds against neurodegeneration and brain injury.