REVIEW article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition, Psychology and Brain Health
This article is part of the Research TopicThe Foundational Components and Elements of Plant Foods for Neurological Nutrition and Well-beingView all 13 articles
Targeting the Blood–Brain Barrier with Phytochemicals to Attenuate Vascular Cognitive Impairment: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential Across Etiologies
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China
- 2Jiangsu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
- 3Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
- 4Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine School of Acupuncture-Moxibustion and Tuina and School of Health Preservation and Rehabilitation, Nanjing, China
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Vascular Cognitive Impairment (VCI), a cognitive disorder arising from cerebrovascular pathology, currently lacks effective targeted therapies. Dysfunction of the Blood–Brain Barrier (BBB) represents a pivotal event in VCI pathogenesis, characterized by tight junction degradation, neuroinflammation, and oxidative stress. Phytochemicals—including polyphenols, flavonoids, and polysaccharides—demonstrate promising multi-target potential in ameliorating VCI by preserving BBB integrity, mitigating neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, exerting neuroprotective effects, and modulating the gut–brain axis. However, the clinical translation of these compounds is currently impeded by low bioavailability and limited BBB permeability. Prioritizing the development of targeted delivery systems is essential to enhance the therapeutic efficacy and clinical utility of phytochemicals in the prevention and treatment of VCI.
Keywords: blood–brain barrier, Chinese herbal medicine, phytochemicals, vascular cognitive impairment, Vascular Dementia
Received: 31 Aug 2025; Accepted: 05 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Jin, Zhai, Bai, Hu, Yu, Sang, Wu and Hao. 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:
Jiajia Sang
Minghua Wu
Feng Hao
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