Volume 12, Issue 11, November 2014, Pages 801–818
Abstract
Throughout
the history of drug development, plants have been an important source
for the discovery of novel therapeutically active compounds for many
diseases. The ethnopharmacological approach has provided several leads
to identify potential new drugs from plant sources, including those for
memory disorders. For the treatment of Alzheimer's disease the drug
discovery focus shifted from cholinesterase inhibitors, to other targets
primarily based on two key neuropathological hallmarks, namely the
hyperphosphorylation of the tau protein resulting in the formation of
neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), and the increased formation and
aggregation of amyloid-beta peptide (Aβ) derived from amyloid precursor
protein (APP). The present article aims to provide a comprehensive
literature survey of plants and their constituents that have been tested
for Aβ aggregation, thus possibly relieving several features of
Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Key words
- Amyloid-beta peptide;
- Medicinal plants;
- Thioflavin T;
- β amyloid aggregation;
- Plant-derived pharmaceuticals
Copyright © 2014 China Pharmaceutical University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
