The brain is the central organ needed for all body activities that sustain life. It is made of neurons (brain cells) that have one main job, which is to pass on signals, messages and instructions to each other. This communication network gives us memory, cognition, speech and control of movement.
NEUROINFLAMMATION
Diseases disturb brain function by making cells produce abnormal proteins, causing hormone abnormalities, infections, or other mechanisms.
Regardless of the cause, different attacks and abnormalities cause the same responses in cells. One such response in our body is called inflammation.
Inflammation increases blood flow, increases body temperature, and brings immune cells to the area that is under attack. This is useful to fight bacteria and viruses that cause colds and infections.
However, inflammation can also cause more harm to the body by preventing cells from doing their normal jobs.
If the cause of the disease stays in the brain for a long time, the brain will be continuously inflamed. For example in Alzheimer’s disease, abnormal proteins build up in the brain, and patients have chronic inflammation in the brain. Long-term inflammation can prevent cells from normal cell activity and attempting repair, which further contributes to further brain damage and worsening symptoms.
MARINE POLYPHENOLS
Marine polyphenols are naturally occurring substances with potential therapeutic and protective effects in the brain. Biomedical research suggests several possible mechanisms of treatment:
1) Decrease production of β-amyloid proteins that form abnormal clusters, and inhibit their clustering. β-amyloid clusters are the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.
2) Inhibits inflammation. Inflammation is caused by chemicals that produce stress responses in cells. Without intervention, inflammation feeds forward to cause more and more inflammatory chemicals and more stressed cells. Marine polyphenols decrease inflammatory chemicals and prevent them from reaching the level of irreversible damage to neurons.
3) Restore acetylcholine (chemical signals) and cholinergic transmission (neuron communication), which are decreased in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
4) Can cross the blood-brain barrier and remain stable in the brain.
REFERENCES
Cui Y, Amarsanaa K, Lee JH, Rhim JK, Kwon JM, Kim SH, Park JM, Jung SC, Eun SY. Neuroprotective mechanisms of dieckol against glutamate toxicity through reactive oxygen species scavenging and nuclear factor-like 2/heme oxygenase-1 pathway. Korean J Physiol Pharmacol (2019) 23:121-130.
Gite S, Ross RP, Kirke D, Guihéneuf F, Aussant J, Stengel DB, Dinan TG, Cryan JF, Stanton C. Nutraceuticals to promote neuronal plasticity in response to corticosterone-induced stress in human neuroblastoma cells. Nutr Neurosci (2018) 1-18.
Park SK, Kang JY, Kim JM, Park SH, Kwon BS, Kim GH, Heo HJ. Protective effect of fucoidan extract from Ecklonia cava on hydrogen peroxide-induced neurotoxicity. J Microbiol Biotechnol (2018) 28:40-49.
Um MY, Kim JY, Han JK, Kim J, Yang H, Yoon M, Kim J, Kang SW, Cho S. Phlorotannin supplement decreases wake after sleep onset in adults with self‐reported sleep disturbance: A randomized, controlled, double‐blind clinical and polysomnographic study. Phytother Res (2018) 32:698-704.
Wang J, Zheng J, Huang C, Zhao J, Lin J, Zhou X, Naman CB, Wang N, Gerwick WH, Wang Q, Yan X, Cui W, He S. Eckmaxol, a phlorotannin extracted from Ecklonia maxima, produces anti-β-amyloid oligomer neuroprotective effects possibly via directly acting on glycogen synthase kinase 3β. ACS Chem Neurosci (2018) 9:1349-1356.
Jung HA, Roy A, Jung JH, Choi JS. Evaluation of the inhibitory effects of eckol and dieckol isolated from edible brown alga Eisenia bicyclis on human monoamine oxidases A and B. Arch Pharm Res (2017) 40:480-491.
Kim AR, Lee B, Joung EJ, Gwon WG, Utsuki T, Kim NG, Kim HR. 6,6′-Bieckol suppresses inflammatory responses by down-regulating nuclear factor-κB activation via Akt, JNK, and p38 MAPK in LPS-stimulated microglial cells. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol (2016) 38:244-252.
Choi BW, Lee HS, Shin HC, Lee BH. Multifunctional activity of polyphenolic compounds associated with a potential for Alzheimer’s disease therapy from Ecklonia cava. Phytother Res (2015) 29:549-553.
Choi JS, Haulader S, Karki S, Jung HJ, Kim HR, Jung HA. Acetyl- and butyryl-cholinesterase inhibitory activities of the edible brown alga Eisenia bicyclis. Arch Pharm Res (2015) 38:1477-1487.
Cui Y, Park JY, Wu J, Lee JH, Yang YS, Kang MS, Jung SC, Park JM, Yoo ES, Kim SH, Ahn Jo S, Suk K, Eun SY. Dieckol attenuates microglia-mediated neuronal cell death via ERK, Akt and NADPH oxidase-mediated pathways. Korean J Physiol Pharmacol (2015) 19:219-228.
Kwak JH, Yang Z, Yoon B, He Y, Uhm S, Shin HC, Lee BH, Yoo YC, Lee KB, Han SY, Kim JS. Blood-brain barrier-permeable fluorone-labeled dieckols acting as neuronal ER stress signaling inhibitors. Biomaterials (2015) 61:52-60.
Cho S, Yoon M, Pae AN, Jin YH, Cho NC, Takata Y, Urade Y, Kim S, Kim JS, Yang H, Kim J, Kim J, Han JK, Shimizu M, Huang ZL. Marine polyphenol phlorotannins promote non-rapid eye movement sleep in mice via the benzodiazepine site of the GABAA receptor. Psychopharmacology (Berl) (2014) 231:2825-2837.
Kim JG, Lim DW, Cho S, Han D, Kim YT. The edible brown seaweed Ecklonia cava reduces hypersensitivity in postoperative and neuropathic pain models in rats. Molecules (2014) 19:7669-7678.
Oh JK, Song KJ, Ji MY, Yoon JH. Effect of Ecklonia cava extracts supplementation on cognitive ability in mice. Kor J Herbology (2014) 29:103-109.
Yoon M, Kim JS, Jo J, Han D, Cho S. Sleep-promoting effect of Ecklonia cava: Ethanol extract promotes non-rapid eye movement sleep in C57BL/6N mice. Fish Aquat Sci (2014) 17:19-25.
Kang IJ, Jang BG, In S, Choi B, Kim M, Kim MJ. Phlorotannin-rich Ecklonia cava reduces the production of beta-amyloid by modulating alpha- and gamma-secretase expression and activity. Neurotoxicology (2013) 34:16-24.
Kannan RRR, Aderogba MA, Ndhlala AR, Stirk WA, van Staden J. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity of phlorotannins isolated form the brown alga, Ecklonia maxima (Osbeck) Papenfuss. Food Res Int (2013) 54:1250-1254.
Kim AR, Lee MS, Choi JW, Utsuki T, Kim JI, Jang BC, Kim HR. Phlorofucofuroeckol A suppresses expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, and pro-inflammatory cytokines via inhibition of nuclear factor-κB, c-Jun NH2-terminal kinases, and Akt in microglial cells. Inflammation (2013) 36:259-271.
Ahn BR, Moon HE, Kim HR, Jung HA, Choi JS. Neuroprotective effect of edible brown alga Eisenia bicyclis on amyloid beta peptide-induced toxicity in PC12 cells. Arch Pharm Res (2012) 35:1989-1998.
Cho S, Han D, Kim SB, Yoon M, Yang H, Jin YH, Jo J, Yong H, Lee SH, Jeon YJ, Shimizu M. Depressive effects on the central nervous system and underlying mechanism of the enzymatic extract and its phlorotannin-rich fraction from Ecklonia cava edible brown seaweed. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem (2012) 76:163-168.
Kang SM, Cha SH, Ko JY, Kang MC, Kim D, Heo SJ, Kim JS, Heu MS, Kim YT, Jung WK, Jeon YJ. Neuroprotective effects of phlorotannins isolated from a brown alga, Ecklonia cava, against H2O2-induced oxidative stress in murine hippocampal HT22 cells. Environ Toxicol Pharmacol (2012) 34:96-105.
Kim JH, Lee NS, Jeong YG, Lee JH, Kim EJ, Han SY. Protective efficacy of an Ecklonia cava extract used to treat transient focal ischemia of the rat brain. Anat Cell Biol (2012) 45:103-113.
Kang IJ, Jeon YE, Yin XF, Nam JS, You SG, Hong MS, Jang BG, Kim MJ. Butanol extract of Ecklonia cava prevents production and aggregation of beta-amyloid, and reduces beta-amyloid mediated neuronal death. Food Chem Toxicol (2011) 49:2252-2259.
Moon HE, Islam N, Ahn BR, Chowdhury SS, Sohn HS, Jung HA, Choi JS. Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B and α-glucosidase inhibitory Phlorotannins from edible brown algae, Ecklonia stolonifera and Eisenia bicyclis. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem (2011) 75:1472-1480.
Pangestuti R, Kim SK. Neuroprotective effects of marine algae. Mar Drugs. 2011. 9, 803-818
Jung HA, Oh SH, Choi JS. Molecular docking studies of phlorotannins from Eisenia bicyclis with BACE1 inhibitory activity. Bioorg Med Chem Lett (2010) 20:3211-3215.
Jung WK, Ahn YW, Lee SH, Choi YH, Kim SK, Choi I, Park AG, Seo SK, Lee SW, Choi IW. Ecklonia cava ethanolic extracts inhibit lipopolysaccharide-induced cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression in BV2 microglia via the MAP kinase and NF-kB pathways. Food Chem Toxicol (2009) 47:410-407.
Jung WK, Heo SJ, Jeon YJ, Lee CM, Park YM, Byun HG, Choi YH, Park SG, Choi IW. Inhibitory effects and molecular mechanism of dieckol isolated from marine brown alga on COX-2 and iNOS in microglial cells. J Agric Food Chem (2009) 57:4439-4446.
Yoon NY, Chung HY, Kim HR, Choi JA. Acetyl‐ and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitory activities of sterols and phlorotannins from Ecklonia stolonifera. Fisheries Sci (2008) 74:200-207.
Myung CS, Shin HC, Bao HY, Yeo SJ, Lee BH, Kang JS. Improvement of memory by dieckol and phlorofucofuroeckol in ethanol-treated mice: possible involvement of the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase. Arch Pharm Res (2005) 28:691-698.
Lee BH, Stein SM. Improvement of learning behavior of mice by an antiacetylcholinesterase and neuroprotective agent NX42, a Laminariales-alga extract. Korean J Food Sci Technol (2004) 36:974-978.