Icarina: un nutraceutico promettente nei confronti della malattia di Alzheimer

TITOLO INGLESE: Icariin: a promising nutraceutical against Alzheimer’s disease ABSTRACT: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects over 35 million people worldwide. The prevalence of AD is increasing and the need to identify new and effective therapies capable of countering not only the symptoms but also slowing down the progression of the disease is becoming urgent. It is well known that the currently available AD pharmacological treatments target symptoms and are not able to stop the progression of the disease. Recently, the use of some promising natural compounds as an alternative intervention strategy has been proposed. Icariin, a prenylated flavonoid, has numerous therapeutic effects, including the prevention of osteoporosis, improvement of sexual dysfunction, modulation of the immune system and improvement of cardiovascular function. Scientific studies indicate that icariin may be effective in AD as it reduces both the production of extracellular amyloid plaques and the accumulation of intracellular neurofibrillary tangles; moreover, it inhibits phosphodiesterase-5 activity. Furthermore, icariin plays its protective role in AD by reducing inflammation, oxidative stress and counteracting potential risk factors such as atherosclerosis.