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    The Anticholinesterase Properties of Plants from the Northeast of Brazil Selected by an Ethnopharmacological Study for Disorders Relating to the Nervous System

    Valerium Thijan Nobre de Almeida e Castro1★, Tadeu Jose da Silva Peixoto Sobrinho2, Allan Jonathan Chernichiarro Corrêa1, Thiago Antonio de Sousa Araújo3, Terezinha Gonçalves Da Silva4, Elba Lucia Cavalcanti de Amorim1★ Corresponding author

    1. 1Departments of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.
    2. 2University Center Valley Ipojuca, Caruaru, Brazil.
    3. 3Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Tocantins, Palmas, Brazil.
    4. 4Antibiotics, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.

    CORRESPONDENCE

    Valerium Thijan Nobre de Almeida e Castro

    Departments of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.

    valeriumcastro@gmail.com

    Received: 12-08-2015; Revised: 17-09-2015.

    Volume 12, Issue 46s · pp. S195–S200 · PUBLISHED 11 May 2016 · DOI: 10.4103/0973-1296.182166

    View on Pharmacogn. Mag. original site ↗

    ABSTRACT

    Background: Various factors may trigger Alzheimer’s disease and the cholinergic hypothesis, which is one of the most widely accepted, argues damage to the brain nuclei, may reduce the production of the choline acetyltransferase enzyme, and cause a decline in the synthesis of acetylcholine (ACh). Studies have thus focused on discovering molecules that are capable of inhibiting the action of cholinesterase enzymes that degrade ACh, thereby preventing the evolution of the disease. Objective: The aim of the present study is to assess the anticholinesterase properties of extracts of medicinal plants in a semi‑arid region of Northeast of Brazil. Materials and Methods: The species were selected by way of an ethnobotanical study and were collected if there were some indications that they are related to the nervous system. The plant samples were extracted using hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol. Anticholinesterase activity in vitro was assessed by way of bioautography in thin layer chromatography and microassays in 96‑well plates. Results: Twenty‑three species of plant were collected, and 75 extracts were analyzed. The bioautography revealed that 26.7% of the samples showed inhibitory activity against the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme. After the test for false positives, 8% of the samples were found to inhibit AChE. Thirty samples were analyzed by microassay (500 μg/mL), on which 86.7% showed moderate to powerful anticholinesterase activity. Conclusion: Of the extracts tested, Citrus limonum, Ricinus communis, and Senna occidentalis stand out as was the most promising in terms of anticholinesterase activity and may serve as a guide for the discovery and development of new substances for the treatment of AD.

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      Castro, V. T. N. D. A. E., Sobrinho, T. J. D. S. P., Corrêa, A. J. C., Araújo, T. A. D. S., Silva, T. G. D., & Amorim, E. L. C. D. (2016). The Anticholinesterase Properties of Plants from the Northeast of Brazil Selected by an Ethnopharmacological Study for Disorders Relating to the Nervous System. Pharmacognosy Magazine, 12(46s), S195–S200. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-1296.182166