title: Phytochemicals in Ischemic Stroke.
abstract: Stroke is the second foremost cause of mortality worldwide and a major cause of long-term disability. Due to changes in lifestyle and an aging population, the incidence of stroke continues to increase and stroke mortality predicted to exceed 12 % by the year 2030. However, the development of pharmacological treatments for stroke has failed to progress much in over 20 years since the introduction of the thrombolytic drug, recombinant tissue plasminogen activator. These alarming circumstances caused many research groups to search for alternative treatments in the form of neuroprotectants. Here, we consider the potential use of phytochemicals in the treatment of stroke. Their historical use in traditional medicine and their excellent safety profile make phytochemicals attractive for the development of therapeutics in human diseases. Emerging findings suggest that some phytochemicals have the ability to target multiple pathophysiological processes involved in stroke including oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptotic cell death. Furthermore, epidemiological studies suggest that the consumption of plant sources rich in phytochemicals may reduce stroke risk, and so reinforce the possibility of developing preventative or neuroprotectant therapies for stroke. In this review, we describe results of preclinical studies that demonstrate beneficial effects of phytochemicals in experimental models relevant to stroke pathogenesis, and we consider their possible mechanisms of action.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117597, Singapore.|Natural Products Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Gangneung, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Joonki
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117597, Singapore.
authors.forename: David Yang-Wei
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Fann
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Raymond Chee Seong
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Seet
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Dong-Gyu
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Jo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neurosciences, National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD, USA.|Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Mark P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Mattson
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117597, Singapore. phstva@nus.edu.sg.|School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea. phstva@nus.edu.sg.
authors.forename: Thiruma V
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: Arumugam
mesh_terms: D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D064209:Phytochemicals / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D064209:Phytochemicals
keywords: Inflammation; Ischemia; Natural products; Neuronal cell death; Phytochemical; Stroke