Mechanistic insights into procyanidins as therapies for Alzheimer's disease: A review

Abstract

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease are characterized by the progressive, irreversible degeneration of central nervous system structure and function. As the global population ages, an increasing number of patients are being diagnosed with neurodegenerative diseases, for which there are still no curative drugs or treatments. Procyanidins are polyphenolic compounds widely found in plants such as grapes, blackberries, and hawthorn leaves. Procyanidins have been shown to have potential protective roles in neurodegenerative diseases by reducing oxidative stress, inhibiting neuroinflammation, and reducing the aggregation of abnormal proteins. This review summarizes the effects and underlying mechanisms of procyanidins in preventing and treating Alzheimer's disease, and in doing so we highlight that procyanidins represent an exciting new therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative diseases.

Keywords

• Aβ
• Alzheimer's disease
• Neuroinflammation
• Oxidative stress
• Procyanidins
• Tau protein