👤 Ali Can Albaz

Astrocytes are central regulators of neural homeostasis, synaptic function, and neuroinflammatory responses in the central nervous system (CNS). Upon pathological stimuli, astrocytes undergo reactive transformations, producing pro-inflammatory cytokines, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and chemokines, which exacerbate neuronal injury. Flavonoids, a diverse class of polyphenolic compounds found in fruits, vegetables, and medicinal plants, have emerged as potent modulators of astrocyte activity, promoting neuroprotection and cognitive enhancement. These compounds, including quercetin, hesperetin, rutin, casticin, and anthocyanins, attenuate astrocyte-mediated neuroinflammation by suppressing NF-κB, MAPK, TLR, and NLRP3 inflammasome signaling while activating antioxidant pathways such as Nrf2 and PI3K/Akt. Flavonoid-mediated modulation also enhances the synthesis and release of neurotrophic factors, including BDNF, GDNF, NGF, and TGF-β1, which support synaptic plasticity, dendritic spine formation, and network connectivity. By preserving astrocytic homeostasis, reducing gliosis, and regulating astrocyte-microglia crosstalk, flavonoids mitigate cytokine-mediated neuronal damage, restore synaptic integrity, and improve learning and memory in models of neurodegeneration, ischemia, and neuroinflammation. Preclinical evidence suggests that flavonoids can cross the blood-brain barrier, exhibit low toxicity, and synergize with other neuroprotective interventions. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of flavonoid-astrocyte interactions provides insight into precision therapeutic strategies aimed at alleviating neuroinflammation and enhancing CNS resilience, offering promising avenues for the prevention and treatment of cognitive and neurodegenerative disorders. Show less

The identification of reliable biomarkers for prostate cancer remains a pressing need in clinical oncology. Inflammatory and regulatory molecules such as NF-κB p65, apolipoprotein E (ApoE), angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), forkhead box protein A2 (FOXA2), presenilin enhancer-2 (PEN-2) and β-amyloid precursor protein (β-APP) have been implicated in tumour biology. However, their roles in prostate cancer progression and invasion require further elucidation. Serum levels of NF-κB p65, ApoE, Ang-1, FOXA2, PEN-2 and β-APP were measured in five distinct groups: Healthy controls, benign prostatic hyperplasia, non-treated prostate cancer, radical prostatectomy and metastatic prostate cancer. Quantification was performed using validated sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits (Elabscience®, Wuhan, China), with optical density readings at 450 nm. All measurements adhered strictly to manufacturer protocols. Receiver operating characteristic curve was analysed to calculate the area under the curve (AUC) for each biomarker. ApoE (AUC = 0.83) and Ang-1 (AUC = 0.81) demonstrated the best diagnostic accuracy. PEN-2 (AUC = 0.81), FOXA2 (AUC = 0.79), and β-APP (AUC = 0.79) showed moderate-to-good discrimination, whereas NF-κB p65 (AUC = 0.76) exhibited moderate performance across disease stages. Ang-1 and ApoE exhibited promising predictive potential in prostate cancer progression, whereas NF-κB p65 and PEN-2 demonstrated modest discriminative performance. FOXA2 showed expression variation across disease stages but lacked sufficient diagnostic value. These results highlight the diverse molecular profiles involved in prostate cancer biology and underline the need for validation in larger cohorts before clinical application. Show less