REVIEW article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition, Psychology and Brain Health
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1646438
This article is part of the Research TopicThe Foundational Components and Elements of Plant Foods for Neurological Nutrition and Well-beingView all 6 articles
Bioactive compounds in Chinese herbal medicine: anti-inflammatory mechanisms targeting neurological disorders
Provisionally accepted
- Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
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Nearly 16% of the world's population is affected by neurological disorders, including neurodegenerative and neuroimmune diseases caused by acute or chronic inflammation.Inflammatory processes in the central nervous system can exacerbate these diseases by causing neuronal damage and apoptosis. Traditional Chinese medicines have become an important area of research in anti-neuroinflammation and neuroprotection owing to their multi-target effects and favorable safety profiles. In this paper, we review the molecular mechanisms by which bioactive compounds of herbal origin inhibit neuroinflammation and improve disease progression through the modulation of inflammatory factors (including TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB, NLRP3 inflammasomes, and Janus kinase-STAT signaling), epigenetic modifications, cell-type-specific modulation (microglia M1/M2 polarization and astrocyte A1/A2 transformation), and gut-brain axis interactions. These bioactive compounds are mainly classified into those with well-defined chemical structures (such as baicalein, baicalin, berberine, and ginsenoside Rg1), plant extracts (such as tonifying Yang Huiwu Tang, Tongxinluo capsule, Shu Xuning injection, and Xingxiong injection), and preparations based on special mechanisms of action or technical means (such as Hedysari polysaccharides [RHP] and microglial cell exosome carrier berberine and palmatine [Exos-Ber/Pal]). We found that these compounds can improve cognitive and motor dysfunction by inhibiting neuroinflammation while exerting neuronal protection, but their low bioavailability, mechanistic complexity, and lack of clinical translational evidence remain challenges. In the future, a combination of multi-omics techniques, rigorously designed clinical trials, and interdisciplinary strategies will be required to promote the precise application of herbal medicines in neuroinflammation-related diseases.
Keywords: Herbal Medicine, Neuroinflammation, Molecular mechanisms, neurological disorders, multi-target therapy, gut-brain axis
Received: 13 Jun 2025; Accepted: 04 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Yang, Yang, Yang, Zhang, Tuo and Xu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Haiqing Zhang, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
Jinmei Tuo, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
Zucai Xu, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.