SOME PLANTS AS A SOURCE OF ACETYL CHOLINESTERASE INHIBITORS: A REVIEW

Abstract

The term dementia derives from the Latin demens ("de" means private, "mens" means mind, intelligence and judgment- "without a mind"). Dementia is a progressive, chronic neurological disorder which destroys brain cells and causes difficulties with memory, behaviour, thinking, calculation, comprehension, language and it is brutal enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies, and social life. Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Dementia with Lewys Bodies, Myasthenia gravis are some common types of dementias. Acetylcholinesterase AChE) Inhibition, the key enzyme which plays a main role in the breakdown of acetylcholine and it is considered as a Positive strategy for the treatment of neurological disorders. Currently many AChE inhibitors namely tacrine, donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine have been used as first line drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. They are having several side effects such as gastrointestinal disorder, hepatotoxicity etc, so there is great interest in finding new and better AChE inhibitors from Natural products. Natural products are the remarkable source of Synthetic as well as traditional products. Abundance of plants in nature gives a potential source of AChE inhibitors. The purpose of this article to present a complete literature survey of plants that have been tested for AChE inhibitory activity. Many phytoconstituents and promising plant species as AChE inhibitors are being reported in this communication.