Lead Finding for Acetyl Cholinesterase Inhibitors from Natural Origin: Structure Activity Relationship and Scope

P.      K. Mukherjee; N.      Satheeshkumar; P.      Venkatesh; M.      Venkatesh

Abstract

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors are considered as promising therapeutic agents for the treatment of several neurological disorders such as Alzheimers disease (AD), senile dementia, ataxia and myasthenia gravis. There are only few synthetic medicines with adverse effects, available for treatment of cognitive dysfunction and memory loss associated with these diseases. A variety of plants has been reported to possess AChE inhibitory activity and so may be relevant to the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as AD. Hence, developing potential AChE inhibitors from botanicals is the need of the day. This review will cover some of the promising acetylcholinesterase inhibitors isolated from plants with proven in vitro and in vivo activities with concern to their structure activity relationship.

Keywords: Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, Alzheimer's, structure activity relationship, ethnomedical, AChE, therapeutic agents, senile dementia, ataxia, myasthenia gravis, cognitive dysfunction, neurodegenerative disorders, botanicals, neurological disorders