Abstract:
Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a common neurodegenerative disease, is characterized by low levels in the
brain of the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine (ACh). Clinical treatment of this disease is palliative and
relies mostly on enhancing cholinergic function by stimulation of cholinergic receptors or prolonging
the availability of ACh released into the neuronal synaptic cleft by use of agents which restore or
improve the levels of acetylcholine. Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase
(BChE), enzymes which breakdown acetylcholine, are considered as a promising strategy for the
treatment of AD. A potential source of AChE and BChE inhibitors is provided by the abundance of
plants in nature, and natural products continue to provide useful drugs and templates for the
development of other compounds. The present work constitutes a review of the literature on 123
species of medicinal plants that have been tested for AChE inhibitory activity and 42 plant species
which have been tested for BChE inhibitory activity. The plant species listed are potential
cholinesterase inhibitors and may aid researchers in their study of natural products which may be
useful in the treatment of AD.
Key words: Alzheimer’s disease,
