A perspective on the mechanisms of herbal medicine for cognitive impairment
Cognitive impairment (CI) represents a critical public health burden exacerbated by aging populations and inadequate therapeutic options. Conventional treatments usually target single molecules, which limits their effectiveness in addressing the complex pathology of CI. In contrast, herbal medicine...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Neurology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1610542/full |
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| author | Si-yuan Zheng Si-yuan Zheng Xiao-qing Zhou |
| author_facet | Si-yuan Zheng Si-yuan Zheng Xiao-qing Zhou |
| author_sort | Si-yuan Zheng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cognitive impairment (CI) represents a critical public health burden exacerbated by aging populations and inadequate therapeutic options. Conventional treatments usually target single molecules, which limits their effectiveness in addressing the complex pathology of CI. In contrast, herbal medicine provides a systems-level therapeutic approach by simultaneously regulating multiple signaling pathways. This narrative perspective summarizes recent evidence on the pharmacological mechanisms through which herbal therapies mitigate CI. A focused literature review was performed to identify preclinical and clinical studies that emphasize the regulation of key pathways, including PI3K/Akt, Nrf2/HO-1, NF-κB, and BDNF/TrkB. These pathways act synergistically to reduce oxidative damage, inhibit pro-inflammatory cytokine production, and promote neuroplasticity. Representative compounds such as ginsenosides, catalpol, and standardized extracts from Ginkgo biloba and Huperzia serrata exhibit promising effects on these molecular pathways. Compared with monotherapies, herbal medicines offer a broader pharmacodynamic spectrum and potentially fewer adverse effects. These findings support the integration of herbal medicine into treatment strategies for CI and emphasize the need for high-quality clinical trials and mechanistic studies to validate and optimize its application. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-eb7064c68dc3415490e6998cd2b4fdc8 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1664-2295 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Neurology |
| spelling | doaj-art-eb7064c68dc3415490e6998cd2b4fdc82025-08-20T03:16:08ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neurology1664-22952025-07-011610.3389/fneur.2025.16105421610542A perspective on the mechanisms of herbal medicine for cognitive impairmentSi-yuan Zheng0Si-yuan Zheng1Xiao-qing Zhou2Department of Encephalopathy, First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, ChinaEncephalopathy Center, First Clinical Medical School of Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, ChinaDepartment of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine Shenzhen Hospital (Longgang), Shenzhen, ChinaCognitive impairment (CI) represents a critical public health burden exacerbated by aging populations and inadequate therapeutic options. Conventional treatments usually target single molecules, which limits their effectiveness in addressing the complex pathology of CI. In contrast, herbal medicine provides a systems-level therapeutic approach by simultaneously regulating multiple signaling pathways. This narrative perspective summarizes recent evidence on the pharmacological mechanisms through which herbal therapies mitigate CI. A focused literature review was performed to identify preclinical and clinical studies that emphasize the regulation of key pathways, including PI3K/Akt, Nrf2/HO-1, NF-κB, and BDNF/TrkB. These pathways act synergistically to reduce oxidative damage, inhibit pro-inflammatory cytokine production, and promote neuroplasticity. Representative compounds such as ginsenosides, catalpol, and standardized extracts from Ginkgo biloba and Huperzia serrata exhibit promising effects on these molecular pathways. Compared with monotherapies, herbal medicines offer a broader pharmacodynamic spectrum and potentially fewer adverse effects. These findings support the integration of herbal medicine into treatment strategies for CI and emphasize the need for high-quality clinical trials and mechanistic studies to validate and optimize its application.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1610542/fullcognitive impairmentdementiaherbal medicinemechanismperspective |
| spellingShingle | Si-yuan Zheng Si-yuan Zheng Xiao-qing Zhou A perspective on the mechanisms of herbal medicine for cognitive impairment Frontiers in Neurology cognitive impairment dementia herbal medicine mechanism perspective |
| title | A perspective on the mechanisms of herbal medicine for cognitive impairment |
| title_full | A perspective on the mechanisms of herbal medicine for cognitive impairment |
| title_fullStr | A perspective on the mechanisms of herbal medicine for cognitive impairment |
| title_full_unstemmed | A perspective on the mechanisms of herbal medicine for cognitive impairment |
| title_short | A perspective on the mechanisms of herbal medicine for cognitive impairment |
| title_sort | perspective on the mechanisms of herbal medicine for cognitive impairment |
| topic | cognitive impairment dementia herbal medicine mechanism perspective |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1610542/full |
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