Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal, a Potential Source of Phytochemicals for Treating Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Systematic Review

Valentina Lerose; Maria Ponticelli; Nadia Benedetto; Vittorio Carlucci; Ludovica Lela; Nikolay Tzvetkov; Luigi Milella

Authors

Valentina Lerose Department of Science, University of Basilicata, V.le Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy; [email protected] (V.L.); [email protected] (N.B.); [email protected] (V.C.); [email protected] (L.L.)
Maria Ponticelli Department of Science, University of Basilicata, V.le Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy; [email protected] (V.L.); [email protected] (N.B.); [email protected] (V.C.); [email protected] (L.L.)
Nadia Benedetto Department of Science, University of Basilicata, V.le Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy; [email protected] (V.L.); [email protected] (N.B.); [email protected] (V.C.); [email protected] (L.L.)
Vittorio Carlucci Department of Science, University of Basilicata, V.le Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy; [email protected] (V.L.); [email protected] (N.B.); [email protected] (V.C.); [email protected] (L.L.)
Ludovica Lela Department of Science, University of Basilicata, V.le Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy; [email protected] (V.L.); [email protected] (N.B.); [email protected] (V.C.); [email protected] (L.L.)
Nikolay Tzvetkov Institute of Molecular Biology “Roumen Tsanev”, Department of Biochemical Pharmacology & Drug Design, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 21, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria; [email protected]
Luigi Milella Department of Science, University of Basilicata, V.le Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy; [email protected] (V.L.); [email protected] (N.B.); [email protected] (V.C.); [email protected] (L.L.)

Keywords:

Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal, withanolides, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’ s disease, ALS disease, Huntington’s disease

Abstract

Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal is a medicinal plant belonging to the traditional Indian medical system, showing various therapeutic effects such as anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-diabetic, and hepatoprotective activity. Of great interest is W. somnifera’s potential beneficial effect against neurodegenerative diseases, since the authorized medicinal treatments can only delay disease progression and provide symptomatic relief and are not without side effects. A systematic search of PubMed and Scopus databases was performed to identify preclinical and clinical studies focusing on the applications of W. somnifera in preventing neurodegenerative diseases. Only English articles and those containing the keywords (Withania somnifera AND “neurodegenerative diseases”, “neuroprotective effects”, “Huntington”, “Parkinson”, “Alzheimer”, “Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis”, “neurological disorders”) in the title or abstract were considered. Reviews, editorials, letters, meta-analyses, conference papers, short surveys, and book chapters were not considered. Selected articles were grouped by pathologies and summarized, considering the mechanism of action. The quality assessment and the risk of bias were performed using the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions checklist. This review uses a systematic approach to summarize the results from 60 investigations to highlight the potential role of W. somnifera and its specialized metabolites in treating or preventing neurodegenerative diseases. Keywords: Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal, withanolides, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’ s disease, ALS disease, Huntington’s disease

Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal, a Potential Source of Phytochemicals for Treating Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Systematic Review

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