Therapeutic Potential of Natural Compounds in Neurodegenerative Diseases: Insights from Clinical Trials

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2023

Authors

Stephanie Andrade (Author) FEUP; Débora Nunes (Author) Other; Meghna Dabur (Author) Other; Maria João Ramalho (Author) FEUP; Maria do Carmo Pereira (Author) FEUP; Joana A Loureiro (Author) FEUP

Journal

Title: Pharmaceutics

ISSN: 1999-4923

Publisher: MDPI

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge

Scopus

Other information

DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15010212

Abstract (EN): Neurodegenerative diseases are caused by the gradual loss of neurons’ function. These neurological illnesses remain incurable, and current medicines only alleviate the symptoms. Given the social and economic burden caused by the rising frequency of neurodegenerative diseases, there is an urgent need for the development of appropriate therapeutics. Natural compounds are gaining popularity as alternatives to synthetic drugs due to their neuroprotective properties and higher biocompatibility. While natural compounds’ therapeutic effects for neurodegenerative disease treatment have been investigated in numerous in vitro and in vivo studies, only few have moved to clinical trials. This article provides the first systematic review of the clinical trials evaluating natural compounds’ safety and efficacy for the treatment of the five most prevalent neurodegenerative disorders: Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Huntington’s disease.

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific