CARACTERIZACIÓN QUÍMICA EXHAUSTIVA Y EVALUACIÓN DE LA ACTIVIDAD NEUROPROTECTORA DE EXTRACTOS VERDES OBTENIDOS DE DIVERSAS MATRICES NATURALES

Neurodegenerative disorders refer to a group of biological diseases characterized by the progressive and chronic damage of the brain tissue. These conditions include both hereditary and sporadic forms, and they are characterized by the gradual and irreversible loss of neuronal cells, ultimately impairing the function of the nervous system. Alzheimer’s disease (AD), schizophrenia, depression and Parkinson’s disease are examples of these illnesses. AD is the main neurodegenerative disease primarily associated with aging, and it is the leading cause of dementia, which is predicted to affect more than 130 million people worldwide by 2050. This disease is considered a progressive, irreversible and incurable disease, which is associated with cognitive impairment and behavioural disturbances. To date, there is no effective cure, and existing therapeutic drugs typically target only a single aspect of the complex mechanisms of this disease. Therefore, identifying new pharmacological agents capable of modulating multiple pathways involved in this multifactorial disorder is of critical importance. Given this challenging situation, scientists worldwide have intensified their efforts to identify effective treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as AD. In this context, due to the growing interest in identifying neuroprotective agents from natural sources, medicinal plants have gained prominence as a valuable source of bioactive molecules with significant pharmacological, nutraceutical and neuroprotective potential. The present doctoral thesis employed a multi-analytical strategy to assess the neuroprotective potential of various natural extracts enriched in bioactive compounds obtained from two plant sources: Pentaclethra macroloba (Willd.) Kuntze (known as pracaxi) and Ferula persica var latisecta. To obtain health-beneficial compounds, advanced environmentally friendly extraction techniques, such as compressed fluids including supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), were used. The lipidic fraction of pracaxi nuts was firstly extracted by SFE with CO₂, and the resulting residue, referred to as pracaxi cake, was subsequently re-extracted by PLE using ethanol (EtOH) and water (H2O) at different temperatures. For F. persica, SFE was not used due to the low extraction yield (