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Avocado as a Major Dietary Source of Antioxidants and Its Preventive Role in Neurodegenerative Diseases

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The Benefits of Natural Products for Neurodegenerative Diseases

Part of the book series: Advances in Neurobiology ((NEUROBIOL,volume 12))

Abstract

Avocados have a high content of phytochemicals especially antioxidants with potential neuroprotective effect. Aging is the major risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. A large body of evidence indicates that oxidative stress is involved in the pathophysiology of these diseases. Oxidative stress can induce neuronal damages and modulate intracellular signaling, ultimately leading to neuronal death by apoptosis or necrosis. There is evidence for increased oxidative damage to macromolecules in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. Thus, antioxidants have been used for their effectiveness in reducing these deleterious effects and neuronal death in many in vitro and in vivo studies. The critical review results indicate that compounds in avocado are unique antioxidants, preferentially suppressing radical generation, and thus may be promising as effective neuropreventive agents. The diverse array of bioactive nutrients present in avocado plays a pivotal role in the prevention and cure of various neurodegenerative diseases.

An erratum to this chapter can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28383-8_24

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, 91, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia

    Kalandar Ameer

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  1. Kalandar Ameer
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Food Science and Nutrition College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman

    M. Mohamed Essa

  2. National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse, Rockville, Maryland, USA

    Mohammed Akbar

  3. Australian School of Advanced Medicine, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Gilles Guillemin

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Ameer, K. (2016). Avocado as a Major Dietary Source of Antioxidants and Its Preventive Role in Neurodegenerative Diseases. In: Essa, M., Akbar, M., Guillemin, G. (eds) The Benefits of Natural Products for Neurodegenerative Diseases. Advances in Neurobiology, vol 12. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28383-8_18

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