Abstract Background and aims Cerebral small vessel disease(CSVD) is a leading cause of lacunar stroke and vascular cognitive impairment and no disease-modifying treatments are currently available. Salicornia plants are halophytes that, under salt stress, produce polyphenols with antioxidant properties. Experimental models and preliminary human data suggest that polyphenols exert neuroprotective effects through modulation of inflammation, platelet aggregation, lipid metabolism, and homocysteine levels. A Salicornia-derived-extract rich in polyphenols therefore represents a promising strategy to slow CSVD progression. Methods To evaluate the efficacy of a polyphenol-rich-Salicornia-extract on cognitive decline in patients with lacunar ischemic stroke. Secondary aims include assessing effects on gait performance, vascular analytical parameters (lipid profile and homocysteine), and treatment adherence. Results SALACUNAR(LACI-2-polyphenols) is multicenter, randomized, parallel-group clinical trial comparing standard clinical practice with or without nutritional supplementation. Patients 40–90 years with MRI-confirmed lacunar stroke and modified-Rankin-Scale ≤3 are being recruited across 15 hospitals in the Spanish National Health System. The intervention consists of an oral Salicornia-extract combined with B-group-vitamins (500mg once daily) administered for 6 months in addition to usual medical care. Conclusions Primary outcome is change in cognitive function assessed by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) at 6 months. Secondary outcomes include gait performance, blood homocysteine and lipid levels, adherence, and safety. Conflict of interest
Ramírez et al. (Fri,) studied this question.