'George Washington University Institute for Ethnographic Research (Project Muse)'
Abstract
The fruits as well as other organs of plants in its constitution have various
phytochemicals, including polyphenols, the antioxidant molecules highly abundant in
foods. Despite its ubiquity, its benefits to human health only start to be evaluated in
90’s, and it continues to reveal a growing interest, mainly due to epidemiological
studies suggesting a link between the consumption of food and beverages rich in
polyphenols and the reducing of the incidence and/or initiation of chronic and
degenerative diseases such as cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, and some cancers.
The investigation of its neuroprotective effects have being developed in the past 10
years, and it have been clearly demonstrated their ability to protect the cells either in
neuronal models in vitro and their in vivo intracellular effects.
A review of the evidences will be presented and in particular the work being
conducted in the laboratory of Disease and Stress Biology on the antioxidant power of berries such as wild blackberries, raspberry and strawberry tree fruit as well as their
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