Neuroprotective Action of Selected Natural Drugs Against Neurological Diseases and Mental Disorders: Potential Use Against Radiation Damage

• Published in: Neurochemical research 2024-09, Vol.49 (9), p.2336-2351
• Main Authors: Akhlada, Siddiqui, Nazia, Anurag, Saifi, Alimuddin, Kesharwani, Anuradha, Parihar, Vipan Kumar, Sharma, Alok
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-inflammatory agents; Biochemistry; Biological Products - pharmacology; Biological Products - therapeutic use; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Brain damage; Cell Biology; Central nervous system; Free radicals; Herbal medicine; Humans; Ionizing radiation; Medicinal plants; Mental disorders; Mental Disorders - drug therapy; Nervous System Diseases - drug therapy; Neurochemistry; Neurodegenerative diseases; Neurological diseases; Neurology; Neuroprotection; Neuroprotective Agents - pharmacology; Neuroprotective Agents - therapeutic use; Neurosciences; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Plants, Medicinal - chemistry; Radiation; Radiation damage; Radiation effects; Radiation Injuries - drug therapy; Radiation Injuries - prevention & control; Review; Reviews; Saffron; Scavenging
• ISSN: 0364-3190; 1573-6903; 1573-6903
• DOI: 10.1007/s11064-024-04184-y

Exposure to radiation, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, is a significant concern in modern society. The brain is the organ that is most sensitive to radiation exposure. This review describes how exposure to radiation can affect neurotransmitters in different brain regions, affecting brain function. This review covers neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and neuroinflammation due to changes in neurons in the central nervous system, and the effects thereon of medicinal plants such as Allium cepa, Allium sativum, Centella asiatica, Coriandrum sativum, and Crocus sativus plants, used for centuries in traditional medicine. These herbal medicines exert free radical scavenging, and antioxidant as well as anti-inflammatory properties which can be beneficial in managing neurological diseases. The present review compiles the neuroprotective effects of selected natural plants against neurological damage, as well as highlights the different mechanisms of action elicited to induce and produce beneficial effects. The current review describes recent studies on the pharmacological effects of neuroprotective herbs on various neurological and mental illnesses, and shows the way further studies can impact this field, including potential effects on radiation-induced damage.