Rutin as neuroprotective agent: from bench to bedside.

Flavonoids are major dietary constituents of plant-based food that occur ubiquitously in plant kingdom where they are usually present in substantial amounts. Rutin is a flavonol-type polyphenol and consists of the flavonol quercetin and the disaccharide rutinose. Rutin has been reported to exert divers biological effects such as antitumor and antimicrobial mainly associated to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Mental, neurological, and behavioural disorders are an important and growing cause of morbidity. Most of these disorders combine a high prevalence, early onset, progressive clinical course, and impairment of critical brain functions making them a major contributor to the global disease burden. In the present work the biological in vitro and in vivo effects and the potential therapeutic applications of rutin in neurodegenerative processes is reviewed, as well as their bioavailability and pharmacokinetics, which is essential for a better understanding of its biological effectiveness. Moreover, the present review also provides an overview of the molecular mechanisms through which rutin are proposed to exert its neuroprotective effects.