Int. J. Curr. Res. Chem. Pharm. Sci. (2017). 4(1): 1-7 © 2017, IJCRCPS. All Rights Reserved 1 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CURRENT RESEARCH IN CHEMISTRY AND PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES (p-ISSN: 2348-5213: e-ISSN: 2348-5221) www.ijcrcps.com DOI:10.22192/ijcrcps Coden: IJCROO(USA) Volume 4, Issue 1 - 2017 Review Article The Flavonoids Ameliorates: Protective Mechanisms in Neurodegenerative Diseases 1 Jaya Gupta, 2 Amit Gupta and Anil Kumar Gupta Chemistry Department, Agra College, Agra *Corresponding Authors: 1 jayagupta6250@gmail.com, 2 gamit8205@gmail.com Abstract Flavonids exhibits various neuroprotective actions. They have a potential to protect neurons against injury induced by neurotoxins in brain. Flavonoids also suppress neuro-inflammation and promote memory, learning and cognitive function. Oxidative stress is the well accepted concept in the etiology and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Thus the therapeutic agent is targeted against suppressing and alleviating the oxidative stress-induced cellular damage. Flavonoids are reported to possess neuroprotective properties. In the present paper we reviewed the literature on the neuroprotective mechanism of flavonoids in protecting the dopaminergic neurons. Various mechanisms like flavonoids as a mitochondrial target therapy, effect of flavonoids in suppressing the lipid peroxidation, activation of intracellular antioxidant enzymes are reviewed. Keywords: Flavonoids, neuroprotective mechanism, neurodegenerative diseases. Introduction Flavonoids may act to protect the brain in a number of ways, including by protections of vulnerable neurons, the enhancement of existing neuronal function or by stimulating neuronal regeneration 1 . Regular dietary intake of flavonoids–rich foods or beverages has been associated with 50% reduction in the risk of dementia, a preservation of cognitive performance with aging, a delay in the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and a reduction in the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. Flavonoids are now becoming valuable pharmacological drugs, due to their low toxicity. Dementia is a serious degenerative disease effecting predominantly elderly people with the two most common forms of this illness being Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia. The factors affecting dementia are age, hypertension, arteriosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, smoking. There are evidence to suggest that flavonoids may be capable of preventing many forms of cerebrovascular disease, including those associated with stroke and dementia 2-4 . Parkinson’s disease results primarily from the loss of dopamine producing neurons in the nigrostriatal system. One theory for cause of Parkinson’s disease that is gaining attention is that of unstable free radicals contributing to nerve cell death. The radicals are a byproduct of oxidative stress, generated by normal chemical reactions in the body. A free radical is an atom, molecule, or compound that is highly unstable because of its atomic or molecular structure. Free radicals are often referred to as reactive oxidative species (ROS) and are byproducts of chemical reactions that mostly occur in the mitochondria. Under certain conditions, the number of ROS produced exceeds the capacity of the removal mechanisms. This process is termed oxidative stress. As a result of this failure, these very reactive oxidative species attempt to pair with other molecules, atoms, or individual electrons to create a stable compound 5 . Several studies provide evidence that one of the main targets of this process occurs with genetic material. Researchers revealed the increases of norsalsolinol, an endogenous neurotoxin present in dopamine-rich areas, affected cytochrome c release and caspase 3 activation DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22192/ijcrcps.2017.04.01.001