• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.1386-1395
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• 2018

Over recent years, it has become evident that the central nervous system bidirectionally interacts with the gastrointestinal tract along the gut-brain axis. A series of preclinical studies indicate that the gut microbiota can modulate central nervous system function through a multitude of physiological functions. Polyphenols are ubiquitous plant chemicals included in foods such as fruits, vegetables, tea, coffee and wine, and their consumption is directly responsible for beneficial health effects due to antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, anticancer, vasodilating, and prebiotic-like effects. There is increasing evidence that dietary polyphenol can contribute to beneficial effects in neuronal protection acting against oxidative stress and inflammatory injury as well as in cognitive functions. In this paper, we overview the neuroprotective role of dietary polyphenols especially focusing on the neuroinflammation and neurovascular function by interaction with the gut microbiome. Polyphenol metabolites could directly act as neurotransmitters crossing the blood-brain barrier and modulating the cerebrovascular system or indirectly modulating gut microbiota. In addition, evidence suggests that dietary polyphenols are effective in preventing and managing neurological disorders, such as age-related cognitive decline and neurodegeneration, through a multitude of physiological functions. Dietary polyphenols are increasingly envisaged as a potential nutraceuticals in the prevention and treatment of neurological disorders, because they possess the ability to reduce neuroinflammation, to improve memory and cognitive function and to modulate the gut microbiota.