Medicinal plants and their derivatives with amyloid beta inhibitory activity as potential targets for drug discovery

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that primarily affects the\udelderly population. Its management has been a long-standing challenge and area of interest.\udOne of the pathological features of the disease is the formation of senile plaques which are\udmade up of amyloid beta (Aβ) peptides. Aβ causes neurodegeneration by a complex interaction\udof processes that involves increasing the extracellular concentration of glutamate, intracellular\udCa2+ and apoptosis. The Aβ peptide is therefore a prime target for developing therapies for AD,\udand inhibition of the peptide has been explored as a possible approach toward treatment of AD.\udA potential source of Aβ inhibitors is provided by the abundance of medicinal plants in nature.\udSeveral extracts from medicinal plants and isolated compounds have been tested in animal\udand cellular models of AD with promising results. The present work constitutes a review of\udthe literature on medicinal plants and isolated compounds which have been tested for their\udinhibitory activity against Aβ. The plant species and compounds listed are potential inhibitors\udof Aβ and may aid researchers in their further studies on the development of treatments for AD\udfrom natural products