Figure 1.

Apoptosis is triggered through the activation of intrinsic as well as extrinsic pathways involving modulation of several pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins. Phytochemicals can up-regulate anti-apoptotic proteins such as Bcl-2 while down-regulating expression of pro-apoptotic proteins, including bax, cytochrome-c, caspase-9, and caspase-3, in neurodegenerative diseases. Phytochemicals also enhance the expression of pro-survival-related proteins as well as Nrf-2, which leads to antioxidant response.