Nutrients, Vol. 15, Pages 3189: What We Know about Euterpe Genus and Neuroprotection: A Scoping Review

Nutrients, Vol. 15, Pages 3189: What We Know about Euterpe Genus and Neuroprotection: A Scoping Review

Nutrients doi: 10.3390/nu15143189

Authors: Ilano Oliveira Da Silva Maria Elena Crespo-Lopez Marcus Augusto-Oliveira Gabriela de Paula Arrifano Natália Raphaela Ramos-Nunes Elielton Barreto Gomes Felipe Rodolfo Pereira da Silva Aline Andrade de Sousa Alessandro Luiz Araújo Bentes Leal Helane Conceição Damasceno Ana Carolina Alves de Oliveira José Rogério Souza-Monteiro

The Euterpe genus (mainly Euterpe oleracea Martius, Euterpe precatoria Martius, and Euterpe edulis Martius) has recently gained commercial and scientific notoriety due to the high nutritional value of its fruits, which are rich in polyphenols (phenolic acids and anthocyanins) and have potent antioxidant activity. These characteristics have contributed to the increased number of neuropharmacological evaluations of the three species over the last 10 years, especially açaí of the species Euterpe oleracea Martius. The fruits of the three species exert neuroprotective effects through the modulation of inflammatory and oxidative pathways and other mechanisms, including the inhibition of the mTOR pathway and protection of the blood–brain barrier, all of them intimately involved in several neuropathologies. Thus, a better understanding of the neuropharmacological properties of these three species may open new paths for the development of therapeutic tools aimed at preventing and treating a variety of neurological conditions.