Efficacy of dietary polyphenols for neuroprotective effects and cognitive improvements

Abstract Polyphenols are a wide group of plant secondary metabolites. Polyphenols are in fact endowed with antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties that include the inhibition of proinflammatory enzymes and signaling pathways that cause aging. Natural polyphenols have been shown to have potent antioxidant activity, since they can inhibit the generation of free radicals by deactivating their active species and/or precursors. Most of the polyphenolic compounds show a modulatory activity in several cell signaling pathways associated with survival, cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Among the numerous dietary polyphenols, curcumin and resveratrol have greatly demonstrated their neuroprotective effects.