The Healing Effects of Spices in Chronic Diseases

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (26) ◽  
pp. 4401-4420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danka Bukvicki ◽  
Davide Gottardi ◽  
Sahdeo Prasad ◽  
Miroslav Novakovic ◽  
Petar D. Marin ◽  
...  

Spices are not only just herbs used in culinary for improving the taste of dishes, they are also sources of a numerous bioactive compounds significantly beneficial for health. They have been used since ancient times because of their antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and carminative properties. Several scientific studies have suggested their protective role against chronic diseases. In fact, their active compounds may help in arthritis, neurodegenerative disorders (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson, Huntington’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, etc.), diabetes, sore muscles, gastrointestinal problems and many more. In the present study, possible roles of spices and their active components, in chronic diseases (cancer, arthritis, cardiovascular diseases, etc.) along with their mechanism of action have been reviewed.

2021 ◽  
pp. jnnp-2020-324992
Author(s):  
Emmet Costello ◽  
James Rooney ◽  
Marta Pinto-Grau ◽  
Tom Burke ◽  
Marwa Elamin ◽  
...  

BackgroundAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is often associated with cognitive and/or behavioural impairment. Cognitive reserve (CR) may play a protective role in offsetting cognitive impairment. This study examined the relationship between CR and longitudinal change in cognition in an Irish ALS cohort.MethodsLongitudinal neuropsychological assessment was carried out on 189 patients over 16 months using the Edinburgh cognitive and behavioural ALS screen (ECAS) and an additional battery of neuropsychological tests. CR was measured by combining education, occupation and physical activity data. Joint longitudinal and time-to-event models were fitted to investigate the associations between CR, performance at baseline and decline over time while controlling for non-random drop-out.ResultsCR was a significant predictor of baseline neuropsychological performance, with high CR patients performing better than those with medium or low CR. Better cognitive performance in high CR individuals was maintained longitudinally for ECAS, social cognition, executive functioning and confrontational naming. Patients displayed little cognitive decline over the course of the study, despite controlling for non-random drop-out.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that CR plays a role in the presentation of cognitive impairment at diagnosis but is not protective against cognitive decline. However, further research is needed to examine the interaction between CR and other objective correlates of cognitive impairment in ALS.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caterina Peggion ◽  
Maria Lina Massimino ◽  
Roberto Stella ◽  
Raissa Bortolotto ◽  
Jessica Agostini ◽  
...  

TDP-43 is a nuclear protein involved in pivotal processes, extensively studied for its implication in neurodegenerative disorders. TDP-43 cytosolic inclusions are a common neuropathologic hallmark in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and related diseases, and it is now established that TDP-43 misfolding and aggregation play a key role in their etiopathology. TDP-43 neurotoxic mechanisms are not yet clarified, but the identification of proteins able to modulate TDP-43-mediated damage may be promising therapeutic targets for TDP-43 proteinopathies. Here we show by the use of refined yeast models that the nucleolar protein nucleolin (NCL) acts as a potent suppressor of TDP-43 toxicity, restoring cell viability. We provide evidence that NCL co-expression is able to alleviate TDP-43-induced damage also in human cells, further supporting its beneficial effects in a more consistent pathophysiological context. Presented data suggest that NCL could promote TDP-43 nuclear retention, reducing the formation of toxic cytosolic TDP-43 inclusions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 861-868 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Mandrioli ◽  
L. Ferri ◽  
A. Fasano ◽  
E. Zucchi ◽  
N. Fini ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (R2) ◽  
pp. R187-R196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Fernandopulle ◽  
GuoZhen Wang ◽  
Jonathon Nixon-Abell ◽  
Seema Qamar ◽  
Varun Balaji ◽  
...  

Abstract Recent work on the biophysics of proteins with low complexity, intrinsically disordered domains that have the capacity to form biological condensates has profoundly altered the concepts about the pathogenesis of inherited and sporadic neurodegenerative disorders associated with pathological accumulation of these proteins. In the present review, we use the FUS, TDP-43 and A11 proteins as examples to illustrate how missense mutations and aberrant post-translational modifications of these proteins cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and fronto-temporal lobar degeneration (FTLD).


2009 ◽  
Vol 187 (6) ◽  
pp. 761-772 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hristelina Ilieva ◽  
Magdalini Polymenidou ◽  
Don W. Cleveland

Selective degeneration and death of one or more classes of neurons is the defining feature of human neurodegenerative disease. Although traditionally viewed as diseases mainly affecting the most vulnerable neurons, in most instances of inherited disease the causative genes are widely—usually ubiquitously—expressed. Focusing on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), especially disease caused by dominant mutations in Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1), we review here the evidence that it is the convergence of damage developed within multiple cell types, including within neighboring nonneuronal supporting cells, which is crucial to neuronal dysfunction. Damage to a specific set of key partner cells as well as to vulnerable neurons may account for the selective susceptibility of neuronal subtypes in many human neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington's disease (HD), Parkinson's disease (PD), prion disease, the spinal cerebellar ataxias (SCAs), and Alzheimer's disease (AD).


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimo Tortarolo ◽  
Daniele Lo Coco ◽  
Pietro Veglianese ◽  
Antonio Vallarola ◽  
Maria Teresa Giordana ◽  
...  

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is considered a multifactorial, multisystem disease in which inflammation and the immune system play important roles in development and progression. The pleiotropic cytokine TNFαis one of the major players governing the inflammation in the central nervous system and peripheral districts such as the neuromuscular and immune system. Changes in TNFαlevels are reported in blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and nerve tissues of ALS patients and animal models. However, whether they play a detrimental or protective role on the disease progression is still not clear. Our group and others have recently reported opposite involvements of TNFR1 and TNFR2 in motor neuron death. TNFR2 mediates TNFαtoxic effects on these neurons presumably through the activation of MAP kinase-related pathways. On the other hand, TNFR2 regulates the function and proliferation of regulatory T cells (Treg) whose expression is inversely correlated with the disease progression rate in ALS patients. In addition, TNFαis considered a procachectic factor with a direct catabolic effect on skeletal muscles, causing wasting. We review and discuss the role of TNFαin ALS in the light of its multisystem nature.


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