Pamela Maher: Discovering Phytochemicals That May Protect the Brain Against Aging and Disease

Many of the drugs that are used recreationally or prescribed by physicians were originally isolated from plants. Increasing evidence suggest that in many instances the function of such phytochemicals is to communicate with insects and other organisms in ways that enhance the fitness of the plants.  Pamela Maher at the Salk Institute has been working to identify phytochemicals that can protect neurons from being damaged in experimental models of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease.. Here she talks about several phytochemicals that are particularly promising including fisetin, sterubin, cannabinol, and a synthetic derivative of fisetin called CMS121.

LINKS:

Fisetin: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7990461/pdf/bpl-6-bpl200104.pdf

Sterubin: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6309122/pdf/main.pdf

CMS121: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7394765/pdf/main.pdf

Cannabinol: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11002867/pdf/main.pdf

Perspective article on neuroprotective phytochemicals: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5841445/pdf/nihms946635.pdf