A recent update on huprine and its hybrids as a potential multifunctional agent for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

AbstractAlzheimer's disease (AD) is a common age‐related neurodegenerative brain disorder characterized by the impairment in memory and other cognitive functions. Although there is currently no successful pharmacotherapy for AD, researchers are continuously exploring the various pathogenesis of AD to develop potential therapeutic drugs. Of the multiple hypotheses for AD, the cholinergic and amyloid‐β (Aβ) hypothesis are the main targeting hypothesis for AD. Some researchers proposed that the symptoms involved in AD (loss of memory, cognitive impairment, and amnesia) are the main event linked to the cholinergic neurotransmitter (acetylcholine). Therefore, the development of AChE inhibitors to increase the level of ACh in the synaptic cleft can improve learning and memory in AD patients. Huprine X is a synthetic ChE inhibitor developed by the hybridization of Huperzine A and the synthetic drug tacrine. This review focuses on the last 10 year's literature search on huprine and its analogues for the treatment of AD. We expect that this review can be helpful for medicinal chemists, and neuro‐chemists to provide new ideas for the development of new drugs therapy for AD.