Potencial uso da Centella asiatica para tratamento de demência

Abstract

Centella asiatica (L.) Urban. is an important medicinal plant with neuroprotective effects proposed as an alternative to conventional treatments for cognitive impairment. For this reason, the present review aims to address bibliographic productions demonstrating the potential capacity of C. asiatica to treat vascular and neurological alterations associated with cognitive decline and dementia. In this approach, attention was paid to studies evaluating aspects of cognitive decline associated with aging, such as Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. In addition, this review explores information on the phytochemistry, mechanisms of action, and safety of the plant, as well as the conventional treatments currently available for the types of cognitive decline as mentioned above. A bibliographic survey of scientific publications was carried out using Scielo, Bireme, Lilacs, Pubmed, and SciFinder electronic databases. The current systematic review included pre-clinical and clinical trials conducted to determine the effects of C. asiatica on cognitive function. Despite the extensive pre-clinical studies that analyzed the neurological properties of C. asiatica, only eight clinical trials were found that investigated its effects on cognitive function and related properties. These studies have reported improvements in cognitive function, mood, and quality of life following the use of C. asiatica. This review highlights the considerable potential of C. asiatica to modulate processes involved in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and vascular dementia, and further studies are needed to support the use of C. asiatica to improve cognitive function.