Nutraceutical Phytochemicals as Emerging Antiepileptic Agents: Mechanistic Perspectives and Therapeutic Implications

Abstract:

Epilepsy represents a complex and chronic disorder of the central nervous system, distinguished by spontaneous and recurrent epileptic seizures, and it presents considerable therapeutic challenges owing to its heterogeneous aetiology. Multiple research efforts have shown that a disparity between the cerebral excitatory and inhibitory GABAergic processes may be the main contributing factor to epilepsy's neurological manifestations. Existing FDA- approved drugs, like phenytoin, sodium valproate, zonisamide, pregabalin, lamotrigine, and gabapentin, mostly alleviate early symptoms, but they have issues related to side effects and high prices. In this context, different classes of phytoactives, such as Naringenin, Kaempferol, Berberine, and Oleanolic acid, showed remarkable antiepileptic potential by suppressing principal manifestations in different pharmacological screenings and their capacity to overcome the challenges and limitations of conventional treatment. This comprehensive review covers the phytochemical nutraceuticals that have shown great antiepileptic promise and the mechanisms of action, safety concerns, pharmacokinetics, and issues with respect to the bioavailability of these molecules. In addition, the review covers the use of nanocarrier drug delivery systems, such as liposomes and nanoparticles, which can improve brain delivery and bioavailability of drugs and overcome pharmacokinetic barriers to drug delivery.