White matter lesions (WMLs), characterized by focal demyelination or myelination disorders, are commonly present in cerebral small vessel disease and various neurological diseases. Multiple etiologies lead to WMLs. However, there is no specific therapy or effective drugs for relieving WMLs. Natural products and their derivatives originate from bacterial, fungal, plant, and marine animal sources, many of which have multiple therapeutic targets. Compared to single target compounds, natural products and their derivatives are promising to be developed as better drugs to attenuate WMLs. Thus, this review attempts to summarize the status of natural products and their derivatives (2010-to date) alleviating cerebral white matter lesions for the discovery of new drugs.
Keywords: White matter lesions; inflammation; myelin formation; natural products; oxidative stress.