Abstract
As acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors are an important therapeutic strategy in Alzheimer's disease, efforts are being made in search of new molecules with anti-AChE activity. The fact that naturally-occurring compounds from plants are considered to be a potential source of new inhibitors has led to the discovery of an important number of secondary metabolites and plant extracts with the ability of inhibiting the enzyme AChE, which, according to the cholinergic hypothesis, increases the levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the brain, thus improving cholinergic functions in patients with Alzheimer's disease and alleviating the symptoms of this neurological disorder. This review summarizes a total of 128 studies which correspond to the most relevant research work published during 2006-2012 (1st semester) on plant-derived compounds, plant extracts and essential oils found to elicit AChE inhibition.
Highlights
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder associated with memory impairment and cognitive deficit
It is characterized by low levels of acetylcholine in the brain of AD patients
The general consensus concludes that AChE inhibitors (AChEi) can alleviate AD symptoms, they neither delay nor reverse the disease progress
Summary
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder associated with memory impairment and cognitive deficit. Of the several alkaloids that were isolated from the active extracts of Esenbeckia leiocarpa (Rutaceae), leptomerine (9) and kokusaginine (10) with IC50 values of 2.5 and 46 M, respectively, were observed to elicit AChE inhibitory activity [12]. A bioassay-guided fractionation from the stems of Ervatamia hainanensis (Apocynaceae), a plant used in traditional Chinese medicine, allowed the isolation of several monoterpenoid indole alkaloids, some of them showing a potent AChE inhibitory activity [25].
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