Natural Molecules and Neuroprotection: Kynurenic Acid, Pantethine and α-Lipoic Acid

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences 2021-01, Vol.22 (1), p.403
• Main Authors: Tóth, Fanni, Cseh, Edina Katalin, Vécsei, László
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal cognition; Animals; Antioxidants; Antioxidants - therapeutic use; Apoptosis; Binding sites; Bioavailability; Disease; Enzymes; Excitotoxicity; Gene expression; Humans; Inflammation; Kynurenic acid; Kynurenic Acid - metabolism; Kynurenic Acid - therapeutic use; kynurenine pathway; Life expectancy; Life span; Lipoic acid; Metabolic Networks and Pathways - drug effects; Metabolism; Metabolites; Natural products; neurodegenerative diseases; Neurodegenerative Diseases - metabolism; Neuroprotection; Neuroprotection - drug effects; Neuroprotective agents; Neuroprotective Agents - therapeutic use; Neurotoxicity; Oxidative stress; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; Pantetheine - analogs & derivatives; Pantetheine - metabolism; Pantetheine - therapeutic use; pantethine; Parkinson's disease; Pathogenesis; Proteins; Review; Thioctic Acid - metabolism; Thioctic Acid - therapeutic use; Tryptophan; α-lipoic acid
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms22010403

The incidence of neurodegenerative diseases has increased greatly worldwide due to the rise in life expectancy. In spite of notable development in the understanding of these disorders, there has been limited success in the development of neuroprotective agents that can slow the progression of the disease and prevent neuronal death. Some natural products and molecules are very promising neuroprotective agents because of their structural diversity and wide variety of biological activities. In addition to their neuroprotective effect, they are known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic effects and often serve as a starting point for drug discovery. In this review, the following natural molecules are discussed: firstly, kynurenic acid, the main neuroprotective agent formed via the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism, as it is known mainly for its role in glutamate excitotoxicity, secondly, the dietary supplement pantethine, that is many sided, well tolerated and safe, and the third molecule, α-lipoic acid is a universal antioxidant. As a conclusion, because of their beneficial properties, these molecules are potential candidates for neuroprotective therapies suitable in managing neurodegenerative diseases.