Selected phenolic compounds in the modulation of biochemical pathways in ageing

The use of bioactive compounds, derived by plants, has recently emerged as a promising approach to prolong the lifespan by modulating metabolic pathways involved in ageing. Dietary phytochemicals possess a broad spectrum of biochemical and pharmacological effects beneficial to human health such as modulating cellular senescence processes by interacting with molecular targets that regulate ageing-related pathways. Polyphenols represent the major phytochemicals in our diet. Polyphenols possess several biological activities such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect; protection against ageing-related diseases (cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases) with potential therapeutic applications and this could suggest that these compounds could be used as anti-ageing nutraceutical support. In this review, we have considered the possible effects of some phenolic compounds in different ageing pathways, to provide an overview of recent knowledge on the anti-ageing mechanism of action of natural compounds.