GINKGO BILOBA, SELENIUM, OMEGA-3, AND VITAMINS D AND E ON INTERLEUKIN-6 AND SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE IN MAJOR NEUROCOGNITIVE DISORDER

Abstract

Major neurocognitive disorder is characterized by oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, two interconnected processes that current symptomatic therapies do not address. Materials and methods: This study evaluated the effect of a combined antioxidant intervention, added to standard antidementia therapy, on a proinflammatory marker (interleukin-6, IL-6) and an antioxidant-defense marker (superoxide dismutase, SOD). In this prospective, open-label study, 60 patients with mild-to-moderate major neurocognitive disorder were randomized, using a computer-generated sequence, to standard therapy alone (donepezil and memantine; n = 30) or to standard therapy plus a daily antioxidant combination comprising Ginkgo biloba extract, selenium, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamins E and D (n = 30). Results: Serum IL-6 and SOD activity were assessed at baseline and after three months; 49 patients completed the study. The two groups were comparable at baseline. In the intervention group, IL-6 decreased significantly (6.8 ± 2.1 to 4.9 ± 1.7 pg/mL, −28%, p < 0.001) and SOD activity increased significantly (1180 ± 240 to 1420 ± 270 U/mL, +20%, p < 0.001), whereas standard therapy alone produced no significant change in either marker; at three months, both markers differed significantly between groups (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The combined antioxidant intervention thus produced measurable, concordant effects on the interconnected processes of neuroinflammation and oxidative stress. Given the open-label design, modest sample size and short follow-up, these preliminary findings require confirmation in larger, blinded, biomarker-guided trials incorporating baseline stratification and clinical endpoints.