Polyphenols are secondary metabolites from plant origin and are shown to possess a wide range of therapeutic benefits. They are also reported as regulators of autophagy,
inflammation and neurodegeneration. The autophagy pathway is vital in degrading outdated organelles,
proteins and other cellular wastes. The dysregulation of autophagy causes
proteinopathies,
mitochondrial dysfunction and
neuroinflammation thereby contributing to neurodegeneration. Evidence reveals that
polyphenols improve autophagy by clearing misfolded
proteins in the neurons, suppress
neuroinflammation and oxidative stress and also protect from neurodegeneration. This review is an attempt to summarize the mechanism of action of
polyphenols in modulating autophagy and their involvement in pathways such as mTOR, AMPK, SIRT-1 and ERK. It is evident that
polyphenols cause an increase in the levels of autophagic
proteins such as
beclin-1,
microtubule-associated protein light chain (LC3 I and II),
sirtuin 1 (
SIRT1), etc. Although it is apparent that
polyphenols regulate autophagy, the exact interaction of
polyphenols with autophagy markers is not known. These data require further research and will be beneficial in supporting
polyphenol supplementation as a potential alternative treatment for regulating autophagy in
neurodegenerative diseases.