The beneficial health effects of CZ identified were; a) anti-microbial and anti-parasitic activity, b) lowering of blood glucose, blood pressure and serum cholesterol, c) anti-oxidant and free-radical scavenging properties, d) inhibition of tau aggregation and filament formation (hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease). Conclusions: The available in-vitro and in-vivo evidence suggests that CZ has many beneficial health effects.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) creates a significant challenge for treating brain diseases. To overcome this barrier and effectively deliver drugs to the brain, nanotechnology has emerged as a powerful tool for drug targeting and delivery. This review examines the physiological aspects of the BBB, the role of its physical barriers, and the different transport mechanisms used to penetrate it. The review also highlights the feasibility of using nanocarriers, such as micelles, liposomes, dendrimers, microcapsules, and polymeric nanoparticles, for drug delivery across the BBB. These nanocarriers offer several advantages, including enhanced stability, high biocompatibility, and improved drug distribution and release. However, more research is needed to fully understand the neurobiological processes that regulate BBB function and investigate the safety and clinical efficiency of nanotechnology-based drug delivery for long-term therapy of severe neurological disorders.

Study summary:

Pomegranate extracts (PSO, PL, PP, and PJ) inhibited cholinesterase activity and reduced lipid accumulation in the brain and body in an in vivo study using rats on a high-fat diet. The extracts also protected the brain from oxidative stress, highlighting their neuroprotective effects. These findings suggest that pomegranate extracts could have potential benefits for brain health and cognitive function.

Conclusion: Nanotechnology has a potentially revolutionary impact on the basic understanding and therapeutic approaches of neuroscience. It may contribute significantly towards the development of nano-enabled drug delivery systems for the treatment of NDs, taking advantage of the nanoscale structures of neural cells. Nanotechnology research focused on the regeneration and neuroprotection of the CNS will significantly benefit from the parallel advances in neurophysiology and neuropathology research.

Punicic acid, found in pomegranate seed oil, has potential neuroprotective effects through several pathways, including intracellular mechanisms related to oxidative damage, synaptic function, inflammation, and lipid metabolism. It acts as an agonist of PPAR-γ, increases mRNA expression of PPAR-α, PPAR-β, PPAR-γ, and PPAR- γ, increases GLUT4 protein expression, and enhances the anti-oxidative properties of HDL and PON1 activity. Additionally, punicic acid can act as an inhibitor of calpain, which plays a role in ROS generation and HDL degradation. These findings suggest that punicic acid could be beneficial for preventing neurodegeneration.

The results demonstrated that CE treatment improved the insulin sensitivity, increased phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase-3β (pGSK3β), inhibited the cholinesterase activity, and improved the learning ability in NTAD rats. Histological evaluation has shown an increase in neuron count in the DG sub-field of hippocampus upon treatment with CE.