Resveratrol Derivatives as Potential Treatments for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease.

Bruno Dutra Arbo,Ana Luiza Muccillo-Baisch,Corinne André-Miral,Mariana Appel Hort,Dennis Costa-Silva,Raif Gregorio Nasre-Nasser,Michele Goulart Santos,Lúcia Emanueli Schimith

doi:10.3389/fnagi.2020.00103

Abstract

Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the progressive loss of neurons in different regions of the nervous system. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) are the two most prevalent neurodegenerative diseases, and the symptoms associated with these pathologies are closely related to the regions that are most affected by the process of neurodegeneration. Despite their high prevalence, currently, there is no cure or disease-modifying drugs for the treatment of these conditions. In the last decades, due to the need for the development of new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, several authors have investigated the neuroprotective actions of naturally occurring molecules, such as resveratrol. Resveratrol is a stilbene found in several plants, including grapes, blueberries, raspberries, and peanuts. Studies have shown that resveratrol presents neuroprotective actions in experimental models of AD and PD, however, its clinical application is limited due to its rapid metabolism and low bioavailability. In this context, studies have proposed that structural changes in the resveratrol molecule, including glycosylation, alkylation, halogenation, hydroxylation, methylation, and prenylation could lead to the development of derivatives with enhanced bioavailability and pharmacological activity. Therefore, this review article aims to discuss how resveratrol derivatives could represent viable molecules in the search for new drugs for the treatment of AD and PD.

Highlights

Neurodegenerative diseases encompass a set of pathologies characterized by progressive neuronal death in specific encephalic regions, which produce different clinical manifestations according to the location of vulnerable neurons (Fu et al, 2018)
In 2016, global estimates indicated that 43.8 million people were living with dementia, of which approximately 60% were due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), varying depending on the country and study methodology (Erkkinen et al, 2018; Nichols et al, 2019)
Several pieces of evidence have shown in the last decades that RV presents neuroprotective actions in experimental models of AD and Parkinson’s disease (PD)

Summary

Introduction

Neurodegenerative diseases encompass a set of pathologies characterized by progressive neuronal death in specific encephalic regions, which produce different clinical manifestations according to the location of vulnerable neurons (Fu et al, 2018). It is estimated that in 2016 about six million people had PD worldwide, 2.4 times higher than the estimated prevalence for 1990; with a male-to-female ratio of 1.4–2.0:1.0 (Lee and Gilbert, 2016; Ray Dorsey et al, 2018) Both genetic predisposition and environmental factors have been involved in the clinical manifestation of AD and PD, with age being considered a major risk factor for both diseases (Lee and Gilbert, 2016; Alzheimer’s Association, 2019)

Objectives

Conclusion