Spectroscopic, Electrochemical, and Biological Assays of Copper-Binding Molecules for Screening of Different Drugs and Plant Extracts against Neurodegenerative Disorders

Abstract

Neurodegenerative disorders, caused by prone-to-aggregation proteins, such as Alzheimer disease or Huntington disease, share other traits such as disrupted homeostasis of essential metal ions, like copper. In this context, in an attempt to identify Cu 2+ chelating agents, we study several organic compounds (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, phenylenediamine, metformin, salicylate, and trehalose) and organic extracts obtained from Bacopa monnieri L., which has been used in Ayurvedic therapies and presented a broad spectrum of biological properties. For this purpose, UV–visible spectroscopy analysis and electrochemical measurements were performed. Further, biological assays were performed in Caenorhabditis elegans models of polyQ toxicity, in an attempt to obtain better insights on neurodegenerative disorders.

Investigating the Neuroprotective and Cognitive-Enhancing Effects of Bacopa monnieri: A Systematic Review Focused on Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, Mitochondrial Dysfunction, and Apoptosis

“…BM amplifies free radical scavenging mechanisms and preserves cells in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and striatum, protecting them against cytotoxicity. Furthermore, it decreases lipoxygenase activity, decreases lipid peroxidation, increases GPX activity, and promotes iron chelation [141,161,197,198].…”