Prevention and therapy of neurodegenerative disorders: Role of Nutritional Antioxidants

There is growing evidence that oxidative stress (OS) may play an important role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Cells normally have a number of mechanisms to resist against damage induced by cellular free radicals during OS. The major antioxidant defenses consist of antioxidant scavengers such as glutathione (GSH), vitamin C (ascorbic acid), vitamin E (α-tocopherol), carotenoids, polyphenols, flavonoids, and antioxidant enzymes. This chapter focuses on the actions of in vitro application of natural nutritional antioxidants in experimental models of neurodegenerative disorders. The capability of these compounds to counteract the damaging effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the relevance of this biochemical effect in their putative neuroprotective action are examined in the chapter. Among the numerous biochemical effects of ROS and antioxidants, particular emphasis is given to their interference with the transcriptional factor NF-κB function, whose role in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative disorders is gaining increasing attention. The chapter reviews the effects of the administration of pharmacological doses of nutritional antioxidants in animal models and in patients with AD, PD, and ALS. A detailed analysis of the role of dietary intake of polyphenols and other antioxidant vitamins in the prevention of AD and PD is discussed in the chapter.