How to Tame Neuroinflammation by Reducing NF-kB

Most, if not all chronic disease involves inflammation. The same is true for neurological conditions and those with mental health complaints such as anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders. It's understood that inflammation is protective, but excessive amounts are problematic and even deadly. The issue with inflammation is the subtle nature of it, and how it creeps up on you after months, and then years. At least in the body, someone generally knows if they have inflammation because of pain. Think about arthritis and those nagging joints that can be inflamed and painful all day long. Ouch! The brain is different, however. The brain does not sense pain, but rather neurons become less healthy and lose their ability to function, which results in changes to cognition, learning, memory, motivation and even the ability to concentrate. Basically, the brain gets depressed as neurons seize to conduct properly and degeneration takes place. Clinically, those with neuroinflammation may lose interest in hobbies, become angry, have anxiety, depression, memory loss, fatigue and lose their ability to enjoy life.

When it comes to neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation, there's one key protein that should be reduced. This is the expression of Nuclear-factor kappa B (NF-kB). NF-kB regulates multiple aspects of innate and adaptive immune functions and serves as a pivotal mediator of the inflammatory response. It's a transcription factor that regulates proinflammatory cytokine gene expression and is implicated in a variety of cancer, autoimmune, and inflammatory disease processes, including brain. It's triggered by sleep loss, emotional stress, poor diet, obesity, synthetic chemicals, sedentary living, intestinal permeability and infectious agents, among others.

Specifically, increased NF-kB signaling may include a heightened expression of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-2, IL-6 and TNF-alpha, and attenuated neuroendocrine responses to stress, resulting in brain cell and tissue death, Fortunately, natural compounds may alleviate the expression of NF-kB and consequently help mitigate the "inflammatory storm". The key class here is flavonoids, which are plant molecules that have antioxidant properties. Flavonoids are categorized into six subclasses depending on its chemical structures: flavones, flavonols, flavanones, isoflavones, flavan-3-ols, and anthocyanidins. Some of the protective compounds here are Quercetin, Luteolin, Apigenin, Fisetin, Apigenin, Rutin, and Chrysin, to name some. These molecules play a role in inhibition of NF-kB, which in turn reduce adhesion molecules and other proinflammatory cytokines. Basically, as it relates to brain, they prevent cell death, are protective against inflammatory stress, and reduces hyperexcitability. These plant flavonoids are found mainly in fruits and vegetables, but can be taken in supplement form as well. Think tea, citrus fruit, berries, apples, and cruciferous vegetables. Here's a diagram depicting the role of Apigenin in neuroprotection:

I hope this helps in understanding the role of NF-kB in neuroinflammation. Just remember, Flavonoids = happy brain, so make sure you're taking them everyday.