Natural AChE Inhibitors from Plants and their Contribution to Alzheimer’s Disease Therapy

Curr Neuropharmacol. 2013 Jul;11(4):388-413. doi: 10.2174/1570159X11311040004.

Natural AChE Inhibitors from Plants and their Contribution to Alzheimer's Disease Therapy.

Murray AP1, Faraoni MB2, Castro MJ3, Alza NP3, Cavallaro V3.

See Table 1 for plants and oils listed listed

Abstract

As acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors are an important therapeutic strategy in Alzheimer's disease, efforts are being made in search of new molecules with anti-AChE activity. The fact that naturally-occurring compounds from plants are considered to be a potential source of new inhibitors has led to the discovery of an important number of secondary metabolites and plant extracts with the ability of inhibiting the enzyme AChE, which, according to the cholinergic hypothesis, increases the levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the brain, thus improving cholinergic functions in patients with Alzheimer's disease and alleviating the symptoms of this neurological disorder. This review summarizes a total of 128 studies which correspond to the most relevant research work published during 2006-2012 (1st semester) on plant-derived compounds, plant extracts and essential oils found to elicit AChE inhibition. 

KEYWORDS: 

Alzheimer’s Disease; acetylcholinesterase inhibitors; essential oils.; plant extracts; secondary metabolites

PMID:

 

24381530

 

[PubMed] 

PMCID:

 

PMC3744903

Link to Full Article

Subscribe by email for free for a limited time to see more scientific studies on essential oils?
http://essentialoilskeptic.com

 

Inflammatory diseases and so much with Cinammon and Ocotea

Excerpts-

Cinnamomum cassia has been widely used for treating dyspepsia, gastritis, and inflammatory diseases. The anti-inflammatory activity of derivatives synthesized from various cinnamic acid based on the 2’-hydroxycinnamaldehyde (HCA) isolated from the bark C.

Cinnamaldehyde is a constituent of essential oils known to exert anti-cancer, antifungal, cytotoxic mutagenic/anti-mutagenic and anti-inflammatory effects. It is the major component of cinnamon bark oil used as a flavoring agent in foodstuffs such as ice cream. An increasing number of studies have described the anti-inflammatory activity of cinnamaldehyde elicited by different signaling pathways that regulate the anti-inflammatory responses

Cinnamomum cassia (Nees & T.Nees) J.Presl (Lauraceae), popularly known as cinnamon, is a spice used in traditional medicine in the treatment of gastritis and also has pharmacological properties such as anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activity

Ocotea quixos (Lam.) Kosterm (Lauraceae) is a species native to Ecuador and Colombia that has a cinnamon-like aroma, and is used as a spice called ishpingo [60]. The essential oil extracted from this species has been shown to exert anti-thrombotic effects in mice by inhibiting platelet aggregation, clot retraction and vasoconstriction.

These findings indicate that cinnamon and cinnamaldehyde exhibited anti-neuroinflammatory activity, displaying potential therapeutic employment against neurodegenerative diseases.

Molecules. 2014 Jan 27;19(2):1459-80. doi: 10.3390/molecules19021459.

A review on anti-inflammatory activity of phenylpropanoids found in essential oils.

de Cássia da Silveira E Sá R1, Andrade LN2, Dos Reis Barreto de Oliveira R3, de Sousa DP4.

Author information 

Abstract

The search for alternative drugs capable of disrupting the inflammatory process has become an important issue in scientific research, especially with reference to the use of natural substances and the reduction of undesirable side effects. Essential oils represent an important source of such substances, since their active constituents often exhibit an array of pharmacological properties, including anti-inflammatory activity. This review presents an overview of the anti-inflammatory action exerted by phenylpropanoids from essential oils and discusses possible mechanisms of action involved in the anti-inflammatory response, assessed through specific experimental models. 

PMID:

 

24473208

 

[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Full Article

You are reading The Essential Oil Skeptic.
Want to see more peer reviewed scientific studies on essential oils?
Subscribe by email

Systemic Review of Cinammon

"Thirteen additional articles were identified by searching reference lists. After removing duplicates the total number of articles included in the present review is 70. The beneficial health effects of CZ identified were; a) anti-microbial and anti-parasitic activity, b) lowering of blood glucose, blood pressure and serum cholesterol, c) anti-oxidant and free-radical scavenging properties, d) inhibition of tau aggregation and filament formation (hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease), e) inhibitory effects on osteoclastogenesis, f) anti-secretagogue and anti-gastric ulcer effects, g) anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory activity, h) wound healing properties and i) hepato-protective effects."

Medicinal properties of ‘true’ cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum): a systematic review

Priyanga Ranasinghe^1*, Shehani Pigera¹, GA Sirimal Premakumara², Priyadarshani Galappaththy¹, Godwin R Constantine³ and Prasad Katulanda³

• *Corresponding author: Priyanga Ranasinghe priyanga.ranasinghe@gmail.com

Author Affiliations

BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2013, 13:275  doi:10.1186/1472-6882-13-275

Published: 22 October 2013

Abstract

Background

In traditional medicine Cinnamon is considered a remedy for respiratory, digestive and gynaecological ailments. In-vitro and in-vivostudies from different parts of the world have demonstrated numerous beneficial medicinal effects of Cinnamomum zeylanicum (CZ). This paper aims to systematically review the scientific literature and provide a comprehensive summary on the potential medicinal benefits of CZ.

Methods

A comprehensive systematic review was conducted in the following databases; PubMed, Web of Science, SciVerse Scopus for studies published before 31st December 2012. The following keywords were used: “Cinnamomum zeylanicum”, “Ceylon cinnamon”, “True cinnamon” and “Sri Lankan cinnamon”. To obtain additional data a manual search was performed using the reference lists of included articles.

Results

The literature search identified the following number of articles in the respective databases; PubMed=54, Web of Science=76 and SciVerse Scopus=591. Thirteen additional articles were identified by searching reference lists. After removing duplicates the total number of articles included in the present review is 70. The beneficial health effects of CZ identified were; a) anti-microbial and anti-parasitic activity, b) lowering of blood glucose, blood pressure and serum cholesterol, c) anti-oxidant and free-radical scavenging properties, d) inhibition of tau aggregation and filament formation (hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease), e) inhibitory effects on osteoclastogenesis, f) anti-secretagogue and anti-gastric ulcer effects, g) anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory activity, h) wound healing properties and i) hepato-protective effects. The studies reported minimal toxic and adverse effects.

Conclusions

The available in-vitro and in-vivo evidence suggests that CZ has many beneficial health effects. However, since data on humans are sparse, randomized controlled trials in humans will be necessary to determine whether these effects have public health implications.

Full Article Here

Keywords: 

Cinnamomum zeylanicum; True cinnamon; Ceylon cinnamon; Medicinal properties; Health benefits