(Ciencia-e-Vinho) - As the population life expectancies increases, so do the number of people diagnosed with neurodegenerative diseases, which are caused by degeneration of the central nervous system (CNS). This phenomenon, which mainly affects elder individuals, occurs in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD),multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Oxidative stress is a molecular mechanism of pathogenesis common to several neurodegenerative diseases. As other highly metabolically active cells, in neurons there is a constant production and elimination of reactive oxygen species (ROS). An unusual loss of antioxidant protection or increase in ROS can lead to its accumulation and ensuing cellular damage through oxidation of lipids and proteins. High levels of ROS can also cause nuclear DNA and RNA oxidation, which can lead to cellular dysfunction and apoptosis. Accumulated oxidative damage of DNA and RNA has been observed in AD, PD, and ALS (1).

Polyphenols display antioxidant properties (2). Red wine contains a polyphenols mixture that are responsible for health beneficial effects of moderate wine consumption, including in neurodegenerative diseases (3). Sparkling wines exhibit low polyphenol content and a low antioxidant potential in comparison to red wine (4). The beneficial effects of sparkling wine polyphenols in health are only starting to be explored. Satue-Gracia et al. (5) carried out one of the first studies in this field, using de-alcoholised Cava sparkling wines, and showed their antioxidant activity in a low-density lipoprotein system, which was positively correlated with the total phenolic content, trans-caffeic acid, coumaric acid, protocatechuic acid and quercetine-3-glucuronide.