Targeting BDNF signaling by natural products: Novel synaptic repair therapeutics for neurodegeneration and behavior disorders

Neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, spinocerebellar ataxias, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal dementia to prion diseases, Friedreich's ataxia, hereditary spastic paraplegia and optic atrophy type 1, and behavior disorders like neuropsychiatric, hyperactivity and autism spectrum disorders are closely associated with neurobiological deficits. Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is an extensively studied neurotrophin. BDNF is essential for neuronal genesis, differentiation, survival, growth, plasticity, synaptic viability and transmission. BDNF has emerged as a promising target for regulating synaptic activity and plasticity. An overview of effects and mechanisms of the natural products targeting BDNF is described. This review is an attempt to enumerate the effects of various natural products on BDNF as a novel therapeutic approach for neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders.