Dementiaisacognitivedysfunctionthatdisruptsday-to-dayactivitiesandsocialfunctions.Theunderlyingetiologiesofdementiaarenumerousincluding,butnotlimitedto,primaryneurologic,neuropsychiatricaswellasassociationswithmedicaldisorders.Alzheimer’sdisease(AD)isthemostprevailingtypeofdementiaandrepresentsasignificanthealthcareburden,asso-ciatedwithconsiderabledisabilityandmortalityworldwide.1–6Recentevidencesuggestsalinkbetweenthedevelopmentofneurodegenerativedisordersandexposuretoenvironmentaltoxins.7
AluminumisawidelyabundantelementintheEarth’scrust.Inthepresentcenturyitisoftenreferredtoasthe“aluminumage”duetoitsextensiveuseinseveraldailylifeactivities.Forinstance,itisusedasavaccineadjuvant,inantacids,cookingwares,cosmetics,foodadditives,andskincareproducts.However,itcanbefoundasacontaminantinmanyfoodproducts,includinginfantformula,juice,milkproducts,seafood,tea,andwine.
Inaddition,environmentalsourcesofaluminumexposureincludedrinkingwaterresultingfromwatertreatmentprocesses,aswellasnaturaloccurrencesthroughtheweatheringofrocksandsoils,orpollution-inducedacidrains.Aluminumpossessesexcellentphysicalandchemicalproperties;thus,aluminumisextensivelyusedinawiderangeofindustrialapplications.Consequently,theabundanceofaluminum,coupledwithitsextensivehumanuse,putsindividualsatasignificantriskofaluminumtoxicity.Aluminumisawell-recognizedneurotoxinthatcandisrupttheblood–brainbarrierandaccumulateinhighconcentrationsinbraintissuesandithasbeenimplicatedinvariousneurodegenerativedisorders.TheassociationbetweenthedevelopmentofADandlowaluminumdosesremainsamatterofdebate.ADhasamultifactorialetiologyandextremelyvariablepresentation.8–12
Aluminumexposurehasbeenshowntocauseneuronaldam-agethatmimicstheclinicalmanifestationsandpathologicaleventsthatareobservedinAD.TheinitialanddominantfindinginthepathogenesisofADisamyloid-βproteindepositioninthebrain,othercontributingfactorsincludedysregulatedneu-rotransmitters,metaldeposition,neuronaloxidativestress,neu-roinflammation,mitochondrialdysfunction,andcholinergicneu-ronsdegeneration.13–17
Currenttreatmentapproachesforneurodegenerativedisordershavelimitationsandoftenresultinunsatisfactoryclinicaloutcomes.18,19Naturalphytochemicals |
