Plants with possible action on Alzheimer disease: phytochemical and biological studies

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder and represents the most

common type of dementia among elderly people. Thus far, oxidative stress,

acetylcholine (ACh) low levels, the imbalance of metals metabolism and also the deposits of β-amyloid (Aβ) have been considered to play an important role in AD pathogenesis.

Synaptic dysfunction, tau protein hyperphosphorylation and aggregation, neuroinflammation, and oxidative stress would then follow, leading eventually to neuronal death and neurotransmitter deficits. The first and so far, sole marketed anti-Alzheimer drugs are the AChE inhibitors (donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine), which increase the ACh levels; these drugs, however, are effective only for symptomatic treatment of AD, since they are not able to prevent the progression of

the disease. In the past years, there has been intense research activity for developing drugs able to inhibit Aβ formation or aggregation.