In-vitro cholinesterase inhibitory activity of dry fruit extract of Phyllanthus emblica relevant to the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a common type of progressive neurodegenerative disease, is characterized by low level of neurotransmitter (acetylcholine), oxidative stress and neuro-inflammation in brain stream. Effective treatment strategies rely mostly on either enhancing the cholinergic function of the brain by stimulating the cholinergic receptors, improve the level of acetylcholine from being a breakdown by cholinesterase enzymes or induce antioxidant therapy and anti-inflammatory agents. Phyllanthus emblica fruits are well known for its antioxidant activities with a rich source of vitamin C and polyphenols. A crude methyl extract (CME) of dry fruit of P. emblica evaluated for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) inhibitory activity by Ellman’s method and were found active in inhibiting AChE and BuChE with IC50 of 53.88 µg/ml and 65.12 µg/ml respectively, which strongly implies that that the CME of P. emblica is a rich source of AChE and BuChE inhibitors.