Abstract

MEDICINAL PLANTS IN NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE -A REVIEW

Prathiba H. D.* and Padmashree D.

ABSTRACT

Neurodegeneration denotes to a condition of neuronal death arising as a result of advanced disease of long-term and is becoming a major health problem in the 21st century. Neurons degenerated are not substituted resulting in a cognitive loss, many neurodegenerative disorders, such as cerebrovascular impairment, seizure disorders, head injury, parkinsonism. The common pathology of neurodegeneration includes deposition of misfolded proteins such as amyloid-β in Alzheimer‟s disease, α-synuclein in Parkinson's disease, transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) in dementia. Neuroprotection refers to the approaches and possible mechanisms that are able to defend the central nervous system against neuronal injury and neurodegenerative disorders. The past span has witnessed an intense interest in herbal plants having long-term medicinal qualities. Widespread research and discovery have demonstrated that natural products, medicinal herbs, plant extracts, and their metabolites, have great potential as the neuroprotective agent. Although the accurate mechanisms of action of herbal drugs have yet to be resolute, some of them have been shown to prevent formation of beta-amyloid plaques, stimulate nerve growth, some inhibit acetylcholinesterase enzyme and malondialdehyde development in brain while other shows antioxidant activity by increasing the level of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase. Thus the herbal plants can be a valuable source of the drug against neurodegenerative disorders which will require high-throughput screening. This review will highlight the role of herbal plants and their phytoconstituents against neurodegenerative diseases and other related disorders.

Keywords: Alzheimer?s disease, Amyloid-?, Antioxidant, Dementia, Herbal medicine, Neurodegenerative diseases, Neuroprotective.