5th Edition of International Neurology Conference 2026

Biography

Tsarbopoulos Anthony, is a Professor at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) Medical School, Greece, and the Director of the Bioanalytical Department at The Goulandris Natural History Museum. He has a background in biomedical mass spectrometry with focus to apply advanced analytical chemistry in preclinical as well as clinical studies, and in protein-ligand interactions studies. He received his BS degree in Chemistry from NKUA and his PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Michigan State University. He was a Senior Research Fellow at the Mayo Medical School, and then a Group Leader in the Structural Chemistry Department of Merck/Schering-Plough Research Institute (1988-1998). He has over 110 publications, more than 3900 citations (h: 36), and more than 180 presentations in international conferences

Abstract

Ageing is the most common and biggest risk factor for most chronic diseases, and it’s becoming more prominent due to the drastic demographic shift and the population transition from an ageing to an aged one. That in turn is expected to increase the prevalence of age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), Parkinson’s Disease and Osteoporosis, as well as the accompanied healthcare costs and societal impact. AD primarily affects the brain’s structure and function, and it is characterized by a gradual decline in cognitive and noncognitive function. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, approximately 6.9 million Americans aged > 65 years old are living with AD in 2024. As the life expectancy increases, it is projected that the number of people > 65 years with AD in the United States will at least triple to 15 million by 2050 resulting in a significant burden for families, health-care systems, and society as a whole. Nevertheless, it is estimated that individuals younger than age 65 can also develop the disease. The precise pathophysiology of AD is not fully elucidated; however, senile plaques, composed mainly of amyloid β (Aβ) and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), composed of tau protein, have so far been the main focus of research in this progressive disease. Moreover, growing evidence indicates that the development of AD is not confined only to protein aggregation, but also involves significant interactions with the brain’s immune system. Most AD drugs have been developed around the Aβ buildup theory, although all attempted clinical trials have been unsuccessful. Natural products such as curcumin, crocin and resveratrol have shown promising activity in modulating Aβ aggregation and neuroinflammatory pathways, offering multi-target neuroprotective effects in preclinical studies.
In this presentation, the antiamyloidogenic activity of certain natural products-derived substances will be evaluated utilizing two established in vitro AD neuronal cell culture models. In addition, evaluation of the antiamyloidogenic activity of certain natural products-derived substances will be carried out by untargeted metabolomics methodologies employing high performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI HRMS). Metabolomics has emerged as an invaluable systems biology approach aiding the identification of new targets, the elucidation of the mechanism of action of new drugs, as well as the discovery of biomarkers for early disease diagnosis, patient stratification, and treatment response monitoring. The developed UPLC-ESI HRMS methodology allowed the identification of the time sequence of metabolome changes due to the administration of the crocus-isolated substance, whereas a sex-related effect on the metabolome is indicated, denoting that the administration in both sexes is indispensable in order to acquire safe conclusions as reliable metabolome pictures. The results demonstrated a number of annotated metabolites playing a potential role in neuro-protection while they are closely related to AD. Our findings highlight the potential of some of those natural compounds as a promising way to prevent amyloid toxicity and provide protection against AD. In case of osteoporosis, plant extracts rich in bioactive compounds such as polyphenols and flavonoids, have been shown to possess significant antiinflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-osteoporotic properties.