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The Role of Dietary Phytochemicals in Brain Health
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The Role of Dietary Phytochemicals in Brain Health

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Bioactives and Nutraceuticals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 June 2023) | Viewed by 3966

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Alejandro Cifuentes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Foodomics, CIAL, National Research Council of Spain (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
Interests: foodomics; metabolomics; molecular mechanisms; neuroprotection; sustainable biomass; advanced chemical characterization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Gerardo Alvarez-Rivera

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Foodomics, Institute of Food Science Research (CIAL, UAM-CSIC), Nicolás Cabrera 9, 28049 Madrid, Spain
Interests: food analysis; metabolomics; functional ingredients; food by-products; extraction processes; natural products; chromatographic analysis; mass spectrometry; colon cancer; Alzheimer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases are associated with increasing morbidity rates. Emerging evidence suggests that dietary phytochemicals may exert beneficial effects on the central nervous system by protecting neurons against stress-induced injury, by suppressing neuroinflammation and by improving cognitive function. Indeed, certain foods that are particularly rich in phytochemicals are thought to strongly influence the structure and function of the brain; such foods are commonly referred to as “brain foods”. These phytochemicals can exert their action by crossing the blood–brain barrier or influencing the brain–gut–microbiome axis. In this regard, the identification of neuroprotective phytochemicals, their multiple targets and their underlying mechanisms of action has become a promising therapeutic strategy to complement pharmacological interventions for promoting brain health.

This Special Issue is a unique opportunity to gather updated state-of-the-art research works that provide scientific evidence supporting the neuroprotective activity of phytochemicals from food or other natural sources. We invite you to submit original research articles, review articles or clinical trials targeting the role of dietary phytochemicals in various aspects related to brain health, including but not limited to neurodegenerative disorders, neuropsychiatric disorders, brain cancer and cognitive health.

Prof. Dr. Alejandro Cifuentes
Dr. Gerardo Alvarez-Rivera
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • neurodegenerative disorders 
  • neuropsychiatric disorders 
  • cognitive health 
  • brain health 
  • brain–gut–microbiome axis 
  • blood–brain barrier assays 
  • anti-inflammatory activity 
  • anticholinergic activity 
  • antioxidant activity 
  • bioactive phytochemicals 
  • mechanisms of neuroprotection
  • brain foods 
  • neuroprotection

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2009 KiB  
Article
In Vitro Study of the Blood–Brain Barrier Transport of Natural Compounds Recovered from Agrifood By-Products and Microalgae
by José David Sánchez-Martínez, Ana Rita Garcia, Gerardo Alvarez-Rivera, Alberto Valdés, Maria Alexandra Brito and Alejandro Cifuentes
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(1), 533; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24010533 - 28 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1798
Abstract
Agrifood by-products and microalgae represent a low-cost and valuable source of bioactive compounds with neuroprotective properties. However, the neuroprotective effectiveness of therapeutic molecules can be limited by their capacity to cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and reach the brain. In this research, various [...] Read more.
Agrifood by-products and microalgae represent a low-cost and valuable source of bioactive compounds with neuroprotective properties. However, the neuroprotective effectiveness of therapeutic molecules can be limited by their capacity to cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and reach the brain. In this research, various green extracts from Robinia pseudoacacia (ASFE), Cyphomandra betacea (T33), Coffea arabica (PPC1), Olea europaea L., (OL-SS), Citrus sinensis (PLE100) by-products and from the microalgae Dunaliella salina (DS) that have demonstrated in vitro neuroprotective potential were submitted to an in vitro BBB permeability and transport assay based on an immortalized human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC) model. Toxicity and BBB integrity tests were performed, and the transport of target bioactive molecules across the BBB were evaluated after 2 and 4 h of incubation using gas and liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC/LC-Q-TOF-MS). The HBMEC-BBB transport assay revealed a high permeability of representative neuroprotective compounds, such as mono- and sesquiterpenoids, phytosterols and some phenolic compounds. The obtained results from the proposed in vitro BBB cellular model provide further evidence of the neuroprotective potential of the target natural extracts, which represent a promising source of functional ingredients to be transferred into food supplements, food additives, or nutraceuticals with scientifically supported neuroprotective claims. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Dietary Phytochemicals in Brain Health)
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17 pages, 3240 KiB  
Article
Use of Steaming Process to Improve Biochemical Activity of Polygonatum sibiricum Polysaccharides against D-Galactose-Induced Memory Impairment in Mice
by Zhijuan Bian, Congting Li, Daiyin Peng, Xuncui Wang and Guoqi Zhu
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(19), 11220; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms231911220 - 23 Sep 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1552
Abstract
Polysaccharide from Polygonatum sibiricum (PSP) possesses antioxidant, antiaging, and neuroprotective activities. However, whether and how the steaming process influences the biological activities of PSP, especially against aging-related memory impairment, is not yet known. In this study, Polygonatum sibiricum rhizome was subjected to a [...] Read more.
Polysaccharide from Polygonatum sibiricum (PSP) possesses antioxidant, antiaging, and neuroprotective activities. However, whether and how the steaming process influences the biological activities of PSP, especially against aging-related memory impairment, is not yet known. In this study, Polygonatum sibiricum rhizome was subjected to a “nine steaming and nine drying” process, then PSPs with different steaming times were abstracted. Thereafter, the physicochemical properties were qualified; the antioxidant activities of PSPs were evaluated in a D-gal-induced HT-22 cell model, and the effects of PSPs (PSP0, PSP5 and PSP9) on memory was evaluated using D-gal-injured mice. Our results showed that while the steamed PSPs had a low pH value and a large negative charge, they shared similar main chains and substituents. Cellular experiments showed that the antioxidant activity of steamed PSPs increased. PSP0, PSP5, and PSP9 could significantly ameliorate the memory impairment of D-gal-injured mice, with PSP5 showing the optimal effect. Meanwhile, PSP5 demonstrated the best effect in terms of preventing cell death and synaptic injury in D-gal-injured mice. Additionally, the steamed PSPs increased anti-oxidative stress-related protein expression and decreased inflammation-related protein expression in D-gal-injured mice. Collectively, the steaming process improves the effects of PSPs against D-gal-induced memory impairment in mice, likely by increasing the antioxidant activity of PSPs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Dietary Phytochemicals in Brain Health)
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