Abstract

Fluoride is a substance with toxic properties and has been proven to adversely affect many soft tissues including nervous tissue. Chronic exposure to fluoride can result in neurodegenerative disorders. Results of many studies indicate that neurodegenerative processes induced by high concentrations of fluoride may occur through two main mechanisms: excitotoxicity and oxidative stress. One of the proposed strategies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases associated with excessive oxidation involves the use of medicinal substances with antioxidant activity. Natural antioxidants, such as those found in plants, may prove to be useful in the reducing the progression of various pathologies associated with oxidative stress including neurodegeneration. The present work describes a few of the chemical compounds, found in plants, which have been recorded in the scientific literature as acting as natural antioxidants in situations of oxidation due to the fluoride exposure. This paper focuses on the antioxidant and potentially anti-neurodegenerative properties of curcumin, silymarin, arjunolic acid, resveratrol, and gallic acid and their potential use in the treatment of nervous tissue degeneration caused by fluoride exposure by reducing the rate of disease progression.