Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) are the most common age-related neurodegenerative disorders and hence pose remarkable socio-economical burdens to both families and state. Although AD and PD have different clinical and neuropathological features, they share common molecular mechanisms that appear to be triggered by multi-factorial events, such as protein aggregation, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress (OS), and neuroinflammation, ultimately leading to neuronal cell death. Currently, there are no established and validated disease-modifying strategies for either AD or PD. Among the various lifestyle factors that may prevent or slow age-related neurodegenerative diseases, epidemiological studies on moderate consumption of red wine, especially as part of a holistic Mediterranean diet, have attracted increasing interest. Red wine is particularly rich in specific polyphenolic compounds that appear to affect the biological processes of AD and PD, such as quercetin, myricetin, catechins, tannins, anthocyanidins, resveratrol, and ferulic acid. Indeed, there is now a consistent body of in vitro and in vivo data on the neuroprotective effects of red wine polyphenols (RWP) showing that they do not merely possess antioxidant properties, but may additionally act upon, in a multi-target manner, the underlying key mechanisms featuring in both AD and PD. Furthermore, it is important that bioavailability issues are addressed in order for neuroprotection to be relevant in a clinical study scenario. This review summarizes the current knowledge about the major classes of RWP and places into perspective their potential to be considered as nutraceuticals to target neuropathology in AD and PD.
Highlights
As we extend our life expectancy, population aging will inexorably increase the number of people afflicted by progressive and devastating neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) [1]
An estimated 35 million people with AD and 10 million people with PD are affected worldwide [2, 3]. Such impressive numbers place a heavy burden on Abbreviations: 6-OHDA, 6-hydroxydopamine; αS, alpha-synuclein; Aβ, amyloid-beta; AD, Alzheimer’s disease; Akt, protein kinase B (PKB); ARE, antioxidant response element; BBB, blood–brain barrier; ERK1/2, extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase; GSE/GSPE, grape seed extract/grape seed polyphenolic extract; JNK, stress activated c-Jun N-terminal kinase; MAPK, mitogen-activated protein kinase; MCI, mild cognitive impairment; MeDi, Mediterranean diet; NF-κB, nuclear factor kappa B; Nrf2, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2; OS, oxidative stress; PD, Parkinson’s disease; PI3K, phosphoinositide 3-kinase; ROS, reactive oxygen species; RWP, red wine polyphenols
Polyphenols are broadly classified according to the number of phenol rings and the chemical groups attached to the rings; they generally feature two aromatic rings connected via a three-carbon bridge (2-phenyl-1,4-benzopyrone) with each ring containing at least one hydroxyl group [24]
Summary
AD and PD have different clinical and neuropathological features, they share common molecular mechanisms that appear to be triggered by multi-factorial events, such as protein aggregation, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress (OS), and neuroinflammation, leading to neuronal cell death. Among the various lifestyle factors that may prevent or slow age-related neurodegenerative diseases, epidemiological studies on moderate consumption of red wine, especially as part of a holistic Mediterranean diet, have attracted increasing interest. There is a consistent body of in vitro and in vivo data on the neuroprotective effects of red wine polyphenols (RWP) showing that they do not merely possess antioxidant properties, but may act upon, in a multi-target manner, the underlying key mechanisms featuring in both AD and PD.
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