Plants and their Bioactive Compounds as a Possible Treatment for Traumatic Brain Injury-Induced Multi-Organ Dysfunction Syndrome

Abstract: Traumatic brain injury is an outcome of external forces' physical or mechanical impact on the brain. Thus, the silent epidemic has complex pathophysiology affecting the brain along with extracranial or systemic complications in more than one organ system, including the heart, lungs, liver, kidney, gastrointestinal and endocrine system which is referred to as Multi-Organ Dysfunction Syndrome. It is driven by three interconnected mechanisms, such as systemic hyperinflammation, paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity, and immunosuppression-induced sepsis. These multifaceted pathologies accelerate the risk of mortality in clinical settings by interfering with the functions of distant organs through hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, acute lung injury, neurogenic pulmonary edema, reduced gastrointestinal motility, Cushing ulcers, acute liver failure, acute kidney injury, coagulopathy, endocrine dysfunction, and many other impairments. The pharmaceutical treatment approach for this is highly specific in its mode of action and linked to various side effects, including hallucinations, seizures, anaphylaxis, teeth, bone staining, etc. Therefore, alternative natural medicine treatments are widely accepted due to their broad complementary or synergistic effects on the physiological system with minor side effects. This review is a compilation of the possible mechanisms behind the occurrence of multiorgan dysfunction and reported medicinal plants with organ protective activity that not yet been explored against traumatic brain injury and thereby highlighting the marked possibilities of their effectiveness in the management of multiorgan dysfunction. As a result, we attempted to respond to the hypothesis against using medicinal plants to treat neurodegenerative diseases.