With the aging of the world's population, the incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is continuously increasing. Currently, AD has become one of the most severe challenges faced by modern medicine. Genistein is a flavonoid phytoactive substance, whose structure is similar to that of estrogen, allowing it to mimic the effects of estrogen and possess various biological activities. Due to its multi-pathway targeting and low toxicity characteristics, it is considered to be an effective potential therapeutic source for AD. In this paper, the pharmacokinetics of genistein are introduced, and its neuroprotective effects and mechanisms in AD are reviewed from the aspects of its estrogen-like action, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-β-amyloid, regulation of cholinergic neurotransmission and inhibition of Tau protein phosphorylation.

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