Phenolic Acids and Prevention of Cognitive Decline: Polyphenols with a Neuroprotective Role in Cognitive Disorders and Alzheimer’s Disease

Abstract

Cognitive impairment, also known as cognitive decline, can occur gradually or suddenly and can be temporary or more permanent. It represents an increasingly important public health problem and can depend on normal aging or be linked to different neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It is now well-established that lifestyle factors including dietary patterns play an important role in healthy aging as well as in the prevention of cognitive decline in later life. Among the natural compounds, dietary polyphenols including phenolic acids have been recently the focus of major attention, with their supplementation being associated with better cognitive status and prevention of cognitive decline. Despite their therapeutic potential, human studies investigating the relation between phenolic acids intake and cognitive outcomes are rather scarce. In this review, we provide preclinical evidence that different dietary polyphenols such as rosmarinic acid, ellagic acid, and cinnamic aldehyde can exert neuroprotective and pro-cognitive activities through different molecular mechanisms including the modulation of pro-oxidant and antioxidant machinery as well as inflammatory status. Future and more numerous in vivo studies are needed to strengthen the promising results obtained at the preclinical level. Despite the excellent pharmacokinetic properties of phenolic acids, which are able to be accumulated in the brain at pharmacologically relevant levels, future studies should also identify which among the different metabolites produced as a consequence of phenolic acids’ consumption may be responsible for the potential neuroprotective effects of this subgroup of polyphenols.

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“…Oxidative stress has been described as a status characterized by an imbalance between pro-oxidants, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), and antioxidants found in favor of pro-oxidant mediators [12,13]. Inflammation takes place when a tissue injury occurs, with immune cells including neutrophils, macrophages, and mast cells that produce pro-inflammatory mediators, such as interleukin-1 (IL-1), TNF-α, and interferon gamma (IFN-γ), as well as different growth factors, including platelet-derived growth factor subunit B (PDGF-B), epidermal growth factor (EGF), and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), representing key mediators of the wound repair process [14,15]. In particular, it has been shown that neutrophils are characterized by an altered cytokine release pattern along with a decreased functionality, with all factors contributing to the susceptibility to wound infection [16,17].…”

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Small Vessel Disease: Ancient Description, Novel Biomarkers

“…Phenolic acids (or phenolcarboxylic acids) are aromatic acid compounds containing a phenolic ring and an organic carboxylic acid function [ 214 ]. Among the most studied molecules belonging to this group, caffeic, chlorogenic, o-coumaric, p-coumaric, m-coumaric, ferulic, and cinnamic acids are the most commonly consumed in the human diet, being contained in coffee [ 215 ], together with gallic, p-hydroxybenzoic, vanillic, syringic, and protocatechuic acids. They can be found in bran, grain brown rice, olive oil, tea, cherries, plums, gooseberries, and red wine [ 216 ].…”