Abstract

MEDICINAL HERBS AS NEUROPROTECTIVE AGENTS

Naveen K L* and Ananya Bhattacharjee

ABSTRACT

Neurodegeneration is the condition where neuronal death occurring as a results of long term progressive disease and is becoming a serious major health problems in the 21st century. once neurons gets degenerated they are not replaced, which results in cognitive impairment i.e. loss of CNS functions, many neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer‘s disease, Parkinson‘s disease, depression, schizophrenia, dementia and seizures disorders. The most common pathology includes in the neurodegenerative disease is miscoding of protein deposition like amyloid-β and Tau abnormalities in Alzheimer‘s disease(Plaque formation), α-synuclein in case of Parkinson‘s disease, TAR DNA binding protein-43 (TDP-43) in dementia. In current era attention has been given to the traditional medicine, because a large number of traditional medicinal plants have been used to treat neurodegenerative disorders. Neuroprotection means a strategy and possible mechanism that are able to protect central nervous system (CNS). The natural products, medicinal herbs, plant extract and their metabolites having medicinal qualities and have great potential as a neuroprotective agent. These medicinal herbs prevents the formation of β-amyloids plaques, Malondialdehyde (MDA) in brain, inhibition of acetyl cholinesterase (AchE) enzyme function and promote the nerve growth, some other herbs shown antioxidant activity in the body by increasing the level of catalase(CAT), glutathione peroxidase(GPx) and superoxide dismutase(SOD). This review will highlights role of medicinal herbs and their phytoconstituents act as a Neuroprotective agents against neurodegeneration.

Keywords: Alzheimer‘s disease, Antioxidants, Medicinal herbs, Neurodegenerative disease, Neuroprotective, Parkinson‘s disease.