Natural Compounds for the Management of Parkinson's Disease and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Biomed Res Int. 2018 Nov 22:2018:4067597. doi: 10.1155/2018/4067597. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder with an unknown aetiology. The pathogenic mechanisms include oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, protein dysfunction, inflammation, autophagy, apoptosis, and abnormal deposition of α-synuclein. Currently, the existing pharmacological treatments for PD cannot improve fundamentally the degenerative process of dopaminergic neurons and have numerous side effects. On the other hand, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder of childhood and is characterised by hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention. The aetiology of ADHD remains unknown, although it has been suggested that its pathophysiology involves abnormalities in several brain regions, disturbances of the catecholaminergic pathway, and oxidative stress. Psychostimulants and nonpsychostimulants are the drugs prescribed for the treatment of ADHD; however, they have been associated with increased risk of substance use and have several side effects. Today, there are very few tools available to prevent or to counteract the progression of such neurological disorders. Thus, therapeutic approaches with high efficiency and fewer side effects are needed. This review presents a brief overview of the two neurological disorders and their current treatments, followed by a discussion of the natural compounds which have been studied as therapeutic agents and the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects, in particular, the decrease in oxidative stress.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / drug therapy*
  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / metabolism
  • Biological Products / pharmacology*
  • Brain / drug effects
  • Brain / metabolism
  • Central Nervous System Stimulants / pharmacology
  • Disease Progression
  • Humans
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders / drug therapy
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders / metabolism
  • Oxidative Stress / drug effects
  • Parkinson Disease / drug therapy*
  • Parkinson Disease / metabolism

Substances

  • Biological Products
  • Central Nervous System Stimulants