Polyphenols as a preventive strategy in Alzheimer's disease
Plant foods contain several bioactive compounds, produced via secondary metabolisms as a defense against predation, herbivores, fungal attack, microbial invasion, UV irradiation, and viral infections. Many evidences point to these bioactive compounds as protective molecules active in the prevention of many degenerative diseases in humans. Polyphenols, in particular anthocyanins and flavonoids contained in vegetables, exhibit remarkable antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. In this context, the aim of our project is to test the neuroprotective, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of polyphenolic extracts from the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana on animal models of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Extracts from different ecotypes of Arabidopsis plants will be characterized by chromatographic and spectroscopic methods. The biological activity and anti-inflammatory potential of the extracts will be tested in an animal models of AD, i.e. the transgenic TgCRND8 mice. The molecular mechanism underlying the signal transduction pathways activated by polyphenols will be investigated in BV2 cells treated with amyloid beta peptide. These studies will contribute to the elucidation of the role of nutritional therapy in neurodegenerative disease