HERBAL MEDICINES AS NEUROPROTECTIVE AGENT: A MECHANISTIC APPROACH

Abstract

Neurodegeneration refers to a condition of neuronal death occurring as a result of progressive disease of long termand is becoming a major health problem in the 21st century. Neurons degenerated are not replaced resulting in cognitive loss ,many neurodegenerative disorders, such as schizophrenia, depression, Alzheimer's Disease (AD) dementia, cerebrovascular impairment, seizure disorders, head injury, Parkinsonism. Neuroprotection refers to the strategies and possible mechanisms that are able to protect the central nervous system (CNS) against neuronal injury and neurodegenerative disorders. The past decade has witnessed an intense interest in herbal plants having long-term health promoting or medicinal qualities. Comprehensive research and discovery has demonstrated that natural products, medicinal herbs, plant extracts, and their metabolites, have great potential as neuroprotective agent. Although the precise mechanisms of action of herbal drugs have yet to be determined, some of them have been shown to exert anti-inflammatory and/or antioxidant effects. Thus the herbal plants can be a valuable source of drug against neurodegenerative disorders which will require high-throughput screening. This review will highlight the role of herbal plants and their phytoconstituents against neurodegenerative diseases and other related disorders, focusing on their mechanism of action and therapeutic potential. Keywords: