Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia in the aging population. Enhancement of acetylcholine levels in the brain is one means of treating the disease. However, the drugs presently used in the management of the disease have various drawbacks. New treatments are required and in this study, extracts of Salvia tiliifolia Vahl. (whole plant), Chamaecrista mimosoides L. Greene (roots), Buddleja salviifolia (L.) Lam. (whole plant) and Schotia brachypetala Sond. (root and bark) were evaluated to determine their polyphenolic content, antioxidant and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory (AChEI) activity. The DPPH and ABTS assays were used to determine antioxidant activity and Ellman colorimetric method to quantify AChEI activity. Although all four plants showed activity in both assays, the organic extracts of C. mimosoides root was found to contain the highest AChEI activity (IC 50 = 0.03 ± 0.08 mg/ml) and B. salviifolia whole plant had the highest antioxidant activity (ABTS; IC 50 = 0.14 ± 0.08 mg/ml and DPPH; IC 50 = 0.23 ± 0.01 mg/ml). The results suggest that the tested plant species may provide a substantial source of secondary metabolites, which act as natural antioxidants and acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, and may be beneficial in the treatment of AD.
Highlights
Dementia is characterized by the gradual onset and continuing decline of higher cognitive functioning (Dhingra et al, 2005)
Acetylthiocholine iodide (ATCI), acetylcholinesterase (AChE) type VI-S, from electric eel, 5,5′-dithiobis[2-nitrobenzoic acid] (DTNB), galanthamine, 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and trolox were purchased from Sigma
Identities of the specimens were confirmed by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), Tshwane and voucher specimens are deposited at this institution
Summary
Dementia is characterized by the gradual onset and continuing decline of higher cognitive functioning (Dhingra et al, 2005). Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of dementia (Nie et al, 2009), is a progressive age-related disorder that is characterized by the degeneration of neurological function. The latter is due to the reduction in levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, in the brains of the elderly as the disease progresses, resulting in loss of cognitive ability (Felder et al, 2000). The search for new AChEIs, from natural products, with higher efficacy continues
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