Restorative & Alternative Medicine

Biography

Biography: Dr. Giulio Maria Pasinetti

Abstract

Polyphenols are a large and diverse group of naturally occurring compounds widely distributed in many plant-derived foods and beverages. There is evidence that polyphenols can be highly metabolized to selective bioactive phenolic acid by the gut microbiome via mechanisms affecting bioavailability through constant interplay between the GI and the brain axis. The notion that intestinal microbiota can influence brain function is clear from clinical support that orally administered antibiotics can reverse brain disease under certain conditions. Therefore, better understanding of the interplay between the intestinal microbiota and the brain in respect to the generation of phenolic acid will provide not only a better understanding of how polyphenols may influence brain health, but will also pave the road for “second-generation” probiotics promoting intestinal microbiota polyphenolic metabolism. Polyphenols may play a potential role in the promotion of resilience in response to stress-induced psychological and cognitive impairment. In particular, preclinical evidence demonstrated the efficacy of certain polyphenols, either individually or in combination, to modulate multiple mechanisms relevant to depression, anxiety and Alzheimer’s disease, implicating the potential for development of polyphenols for novel multi-target engagement. In spite of the increasing efforts through clinical testing of polyphenols, there is limited knowledge of polyphenol bioavailability, specific forms of brain-bioavailable bioactive polyphenols, and their underlying mechanisms of action. The overall goal of this presentation is to briefly discuss “state of the art” development of polyphenols and their eventual translation into the clinical setting with emphasis on host gut microbiota polyphenol metabolism in promoting neuroresilience in aging.