Recent advances and possibilities for the use of plant phenolic compounds to manage ageing-related diseases

Ageing is an emerging global public health concern due to the increasing number of elderly people and ageing-related degenerative disorders. Given the absence of effective treatments to manage ageing-related diseases, increasing efforts have been directed to find ways to reduce the risk of developing these disorders. Among them, plant phytochemicals, such as phenolic compounds, are considered potential anti-ageing agents due to their multifaceted biochemical actions. In this review, we focus on presenting the results of the last few years and pioneer researches mainly with animal models and human trials showing the key role of phenolic compounds as potential anti-ageing agents. Recent advances demonstrated that several phenolic compounds can reduce the risk and/or delay ageing-related disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic syndromes, and cancers particularly by modulating signalling pathways involved in inflammation, oxidative damage, autophagy, and apoptosis. Therefore, plant phenolic compounds can be a complementary and alternative tool for managing ageing-related diseases.