Phytochemicals are broadly defined as compounds produced by plants, many of which have pigment, odorant, and/or irritant properties that may provide biochemical defenses against metabolic byproducts (e.g., reactive oxygen species, protein misfolding) and environmental insults (e.g., pathogens, insects, ultraviolet radiation). Consumption of plants or their phytochemicals may confer some of these beneficial properties and modulate biological pathways including inflammatory, enzymatic, neurotransmitter systems, apoptosis, and neurogenesis. This talk will present data from our laboratory describing the effects of dried fruit, fruit juice, and polyphenol extracts on drosophila and mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, and irradiation. Additionally, data from human studies of open heart surgery and stroke will be presented. Experiments with transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease suggest that these compounds can improve behavioral performance by preventing the production / accumulation of amyloid-beta in the brain. Other mouse experiments suggest that they can reduce lesion size and behavioral deficits associated with mild traumatic brain injury, and that they can upregulate neurogenesis and prevent deficits associated with irradiation. Further experiments with drosophila models of epilepsy and traumatic brain injury are currently underway. In a study of human patients undergoing open heart surgery, we showed that pre- and post-treatment with pomegranate polyphenols not only prevented the occurrence of post-operative cognitive deficits, but improved memory above pre-surgery baselines. Another study of treatment with pomegranate polyphenols following stroke in humans is currently underway. Given the low cost and relative safety associated with dietary interventions, such preventative strategies may ultimately prove more helpful than reactive treatment with pharmaceuticals that have extensive side effect profiles. Together, these data suggest that diets consisting of a wide variety of brightly colored and spicy foods can provide a broad degree of chronic background protection against the deleterious effects of aging and other insults to the brain.

Actions of bioactive phytochemicals in neuropathology

251st National Meeting (2016)

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