A new study has shown that myricitrin, a flavinoid with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity that is present inedible plants and fruit, can protect mouse brains from the loss of dopamine-producing neurons caused by neurotoxicity. The reported effects of myricitrin suggest that it could have a role in preventing the neuronal degeneration that occurs in Parkinson's disease, as described in an article published in Journal of Medicinal Food, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal of Medicinal Food website until July 6, 2016.
Heung Deok Kim, Kyoung Hoon Jeong, Un Ju Jung and San Ryong Kim, Kyungpook National University (Daegu) and Pukyong National University (Busan), Korea, demonstrated the ability of myricitrin to help maintain two key functions of mouse neurons exposed to a neurotoxic agent: the enzymatic activity of tyrosine hydroxylase and rapamycin complex 1 activation. The authors present their findings in the article entitled "Myricitrin Ameliorates 6-Hydroxydopamine-Induced Dopaminergic Neuronal Loss in the Substantia Nigra of Mouse Brain."
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