Harnessing the Potential of Natural Nutraceuticals Against Huntington’s Disease

Abstract: Neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs) are a major global health concern and the fifth leading cause of death worldwide. Huntington's disease (HD) is an NDD regarded as a rare, genetic, and advanced disease that occurs due to the duplication of cytosine, adenine, and guanine (CAG) trinucleotide repeats on chromosome 4p, located in the Huntingtin gene (HTT). There is no specific therapy available for HD. This review examines current evidence on various nutraceuticals as therapeutic or preventive agents in HD and their benefits in protecting against neuronal damage, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and combating excitotoxicity and neuroinflammation. Moreover, the beneficial role of nutraceuticals in HD involves averting defective energy metabolism, protein misfolding and aggregation, and epigenetic modulation, as well as strengthening cognitive and behavioral health. Nutraceuticals are naturally derived, bioactive components generally available in foods, dietary supplements, and herbal products, and they contribute to health promotion and disease prevention. These nutraceuticals possess potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties, which help minimize the risk of HD. Moreover, antibacterial, antiviral, antimicrobial, anticancer, antiaging, antidiabetic, antihyperlipidemic, and immunobooster characteristics attract a large population worldwide. The wide availability of nutraceuticals in fruits, vegetables, and several naturally occurring foodstuffs supports their accessibility. These nutraceuticals function by stabilizing mitochondrial function, counteracting calcium overload, minimizing oxidative stress, and preventing inflammatory responses, among other mechanisms. The wide acceptance and demand for these nutraceuticals are due to their multifunctional role, economic benefits, and safety profile. The most promising nutraceuticals in the prevention and therapy of HD discussed are Curcumin, Resveratrol, Quercetin, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Hesperidin, Coenzyme Q10, Kaempferol, Silymarin, Astaxanthin, Lycopene, and Rosmarinic acid.