Carnosine and Gingko Biloba in Brain-Related Disorders
Brain disorders becoming a serious threat to human health not in India but worldwide. Mental health conditions are now the leading cause of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), accounting for 37% of healthy life years lost from non-communicable diseases.
Need for effective management of brain disorders
Treating the symptoms is the main goal of Neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disease management. But the currently available drugs are lacking in disease-modifying activity, efficacy, and tolerability. Hence, there is an urgent need to identify more effective, low-cost, and easily scalable interventions to prevent and treat neurological, neurodegenerative, and psychiatric disorders.
Nutraceuticals for neuroprotection
With an increasing need to adhere to healthy options, the demand for nutraceuticals is widely increasing to combat neurological interventions. In this blog let’s put some light on the potential of carnosine and Ginkgo biloba in neuroprotection.
Carnosine
Carnosine (β-alanine-L-histidine) is an exercise enhancer and has been widely used in sports to improve physical performance and muscle gain. Carnosine plays an important physiological role in brain function, as an endogenous antioxidant, neuromodulator, and neuroprotective molecule.
Here is how carnosine helps in protecting the neural functions
- Neurons and astrocytes are the main utilizer of carnosine in the brain.
- In astrocytes, carnosine facilitates lactate export from cells and provides metabolic support to neurons and axons by buffering protons.
- Carnosine also reduces oxidative stress, inflammation, and advanced glycation end product as well as regulation of macrophage function.
- Carnosine also acts as a precursor to inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA and exerts neuroprotective action on neurotoxicity.
- Carnosine reduces carbonylation-related cytotoxicity.
- Another neuroprotective action of carnosine includes its attenuation of neurotoxicity induced by NMDA, beta-amyloid, and inducible nitric oxide synthase as well as increased trophic factors expression.
Ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) is one of the most investigated herbal remedies for cognitive disorders. Ginkgo leaves protect nerve cells from harm when lacking oxygen. The leaf extracts are used to treat dementia disorders, such as concentration difficulties and memory impairment.
Here is how Ginkgo biloba helps in protecting the neural functions
· Positive effect on Alzheimer’s disease, memory enhancement, dementia of vascular origin, cognitive disorders
·Antioxidative effects in combination with other drugs, enhance their effects or decrease their psychiatric side effects.
·Can be used as an antidepressant agent and a neuroprotective drug in brain injuries.
·It also improves cerebral blood flow to reduce fatigue and inattention.
·It has a positive effect on cognitive and neurological function by vascular flow regulation and platelet-activating antagonism factors that protect the brain from ischemic injuries
·It has positive effects on psychosis, anxiety, schizophrenia, and depression. It stimulates cerebral blood circulation and improves damage caused by low blood circulation in the brain like anxiety, stress, low memory, hearing problems, low concentration, thinking social behavior, and dementia in Alzheimer’s disease.