Abstract

OMEGA-3 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS AND SOME AMINO ACIDS IN EARLY PREVENTION OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

Danka P. Obreshkova, Bozhidarka R. Hadzhieva, Dobrina Tsvetkova,
Valentina B. Petkova*

ABSTRACT

AD is the most common form of dementia worldwide, accounting for approximately 60% of all dementia cases. The main pathological hallmarks of AD, including senile plaques, resulted from the extracellular accumulation of the amyloid beta (Aβ) protein, and the neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), formed by hyperphosphorylated and aggregated Tau protein. Conventional therapies for AD are mainly symptomatic and consist of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs), among which donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine are widely used in AD patients. In this review, we summarize the neuroprotective effects of the Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and some amino acids in the prevention and treatment of the most common kinds of dementia. We believe that natural phytochemicals may represent a promising sources of alternative medicine, at least in association with therapies approved to date for dementia.

Keywords: Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, Alzheimer's disease, amino acids, prevention.