Search

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the main dementia type accounting for over 70 % of the entire dementia population and exhibits progressive decline in memory and executive function. AD pathology is characterized by amyloid fibrils and neurofibrillary tangles. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), an enzyme involved in the hydrolysis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, consistently colocalizes with the amyloid deposits is characteristic of Alzheimer's disease and may contribute to the generation of amyloid proteins. AChE is a potent amyloid-promoting factor as compared with other associated proteins. AChE inhibitors play a vital role to prevent the formation of toxic oligomeric form of amyloid peptide. Recent studies have reported that acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (ChE-Is) are present in plants, fungi, and marine products. Some cholinesterase inhibitors, obtained from plant source such as rivastigmine, donepezil, and galantamine, used in the treatment of AD, offer an alternative approach to alleviate its symptoms by reducing Aβ.Due to limited efficacy of currently available drugs for AD, there is huge potential of phytomedicines for the treatment of AD. Medicinal herbs and herbal drug preparations have traditionally been used to treat neurological disorders such as AD by exhibiting its anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties. Phytomedicines containing flavonoids, polyphenols, and other naturally occurring antioxidants crosses the blood-brain barrier and protect neurons from oxidative stress. As compared to synthetic drugs, phytomedicines have fewer side effects. Therefore, recent research is focused to explore the potential of phytomedicines and develop it as effective treatment for AD. In our review, we summarized the pathology of AD, amyloid-deposition, role of Acetylcholinesterase, potential of phytoconstituents with acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity for AD treatment.

Adult mammalian injured axons regenerate over short-distance in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) while the axons in the central nervous system (CNS) are unable to regrow after injury. Here, we demonstrated that Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP), purified from Wolfberry, accelerated long-distance axon regeneration after severe peripheral nerve injury (PNI) and optic nerve crush (ONC). LBP not only promoted intrinsic growth capacity of injured neurons and function recovery after severe PNI, but also induced robust retinal ganglion cell (RGC) survival and axon regeneration after ONC. By using LBP gene expression profile signatures to query a Connectivity map database, we identified a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved small-molecule glycopyrrolate, which promoted PNS axon regeneration, RGC survival and sustained CNS axon regeneration, increased neural firing in the superior colliculus, and enhanced visual target re-innervations by regenerating RGC axons leading to a partial restoration of visual function after ONC. Our study provides insights into repurposing of FDA-approved small molecule for nerve repair and function recovery.

The solubilization of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) in aqueous surfactant solutions of different architectures (anionic, cationic, and nonionic) has been investigated to improve its aqueous solubility and assess the effect of surfactant‐based multiphase environments on its antiradical activity against 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Herein, we report that the micellar encapsulation and DDPH antiradical activity of BHA are highly dependent on the structure and amount of surfactant used. Radical scavenging activity (RSA) and solubilization were efficient in nonionics compared to ionics. DPPH reduction kinetics in micellar media is essential to uncover the behavior of BHA in multiphase environments commonly encountered in different food systems simulated by aqueous micelles. The study is important to identify the optimal medium for improving the solubility and antioxidant capacity of compounds like BHA, and to anticipate the effect of different micro‐heterogeneous/multiphase environments on BHA's antioxidant capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]