Natural Products as the Potential to Improve Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease are the two most common neurodegenerative diseases in the world, and their incidence rates are increasing as our society ages. This creates a significant social and economic burden. Although the exact cause and treatment methods for these diseases are not yet known, research suggests that Alzheimer’s disease is caused by amyloid precursor protein, while α-synuclein acts as a causative agent in Parkinson’s disease. The accumulation of abnormal proteins such as these can lead to symptoms such as loss of protein homeostasis, mitochondrial dysfunction, and neuroinflammation, which ultimately result in the death of nerve cells and the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. The medications currently available for these diseases only delay their progression and have many adverse effects, which has led to increased interest in developing natural products with fewer adverse effects. In this study, we selected specific keywords and thesis content to investigate natural products that are effective in treating Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. We reviewed 16 papers on natural products and found that they showed promising mechanisms of action such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and mitochondrial function improvement. Other natural products with similar properties could also be considered potential treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, and they can be consumed as part of a healthy diet rather than as medicine.