Abstract

COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW ON ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

Humera Sadia and Govindu Sumalatha*

ABSTRACT

Alzheimer’s disease is an age associated, irreversible, progressive neuro degenerative disease that is characterised by severe memory loss, unusual behaviour, personality changes, and decline in cognitive function. No cure for Alzheimer’s exist and the drugs currently available to treat the disease have limited effectiveness. It is believed that therapeutic intervention that could postpone the onset or progression of Alzheimer’s disease would dramatically reduce the number of cases in the next 50 years. Ayurvedic medicinal plants have been the single most productive source of leads for the development of drugs an over 100 new products are already in clinical development. Indeed several scientific studies have described the use of various Ayurvedic medicinal plants and their constituents for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Although the exact mechanism of the action is still not clear, phytochemical studies of the different parts of the plants have shown the presence of many valuable compounds such as lignans, flavonoids, tannins, polyphenols, triterpenes, sterols an alkaloid that show a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities including anti-inflammatory, antiamyloidogenic, anticholinesterase, hyperlipidemic an antioxidant effects. This review gathers research on various medicinal plants that show promise in reversing the Alzheimer’s disease and provide sufficient baseline information that could be used in drug discovery campaigns and development process, thereby providing new functional leads for Alzheimer’s disease. 

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, Cognitive, anticholinesterase, flavonoids, antiamylodogenic.