title: Neuroprotective herbs and foods from different traditional medicines and diets.
abstract: Plant secondary metabolites include an array of bioactive constituents form both medicinal and food plants able to improve human health. The exposure to these phytochemicals, including phenylpropanoids, isoprenoids and alkaloids, through correct dietary habits, may promote health benefits, protecting against the chronic degenerative disorders mainly seen in Western industrialized countries, such as cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we briefly deal with some plant foods and herbs of traditional medicines and diets, focusing on their neuroprotective active components. Because oxidative stress and neuroinflammation resulting from neuroglial activation, at the level of neurons, microglial cells and astrocytes, are key factors in the etiopathogenesis of both neurodegenerative and neurological diseases, emphasis will be placed on the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity exerted by specific molecules present in food plants or in remedies prescribed by herbal medicines.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Produzione Vegetale, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy. marcello.iriti@unimi.it
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iriti
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vitalini
authors.forename: Gelsomina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fico
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Faoro
mesh_terms: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D004032:Diet; D005502:Food; D006801:Humans; D008519:Medicine, Traditional / Q000379:methods*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents