Natural products and their derived compounds inhibitors of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative pathology that primarily affects the elderly population, and is estimated to account for 50-60% of dementia cases in persons over 65 years of age. The main characteristics connected with AD implicate the dysfunction of cognitive role, mainly loss of memory. While, the main features linked with AD at later stages include deficits of language, depression and problems associated with behavior. One of the most important approaches for medication of this disease is to improve level of the acetylcholine in the brain tissues using inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). The present work reviews the literature on natural products from plants and plant-derived compounds inhibitors of enzyme acetylcholinesterase. Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors; Secondary metabolites; Plant extracts; essential oils