Unlocking the Therapeutic Potential of Medicinal Plants for Alzheimer’s Disease: Preclinical to Clinical Trial Insights

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive, multifactorial, and unremitting neurodegenerative disease characterized by memory loss, personality changes, and cognitive impairment. It has become more prevalent in recent years. Therefore, understanding the pathophysiology of AD and developing efficient therapeutic strategies are essential. Moreover, the progression of the disease is unaffected by the pharmaceutical approaches discovered to date. Additionally, the failure of over 200 potential drug candidates in clinical trials over the past decade suggests the complexity and difficulty of both the disease and its underlying causes. Therefore, research focused on medicinal plant-based natural products in the search for novel neuroprotective therapeutic candidates for AD is essential. Indeed, several scientific investigations have demonstrated the efficacy of many medicinal plants and their principal phytochemicals in the treatment of AD. This review article covered the pathophysiological mechanisms of AD, the necessity for natural products as anti-AD treatments, and the most recent preclinical studies revealing the function of neuroprotective medicinal plants and their bioactive compounds in the effective management of AD. In addition, the review also presents clinical trial data of promising anti-AD formulations/agents of plant origin. Revealing recent findings and highlighting the clinical trial data related to the development of new treatments for AD would promote further research in this field and pave the way for the development of more effective and safe treatments for this debilitating disease.

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“…Therefore, the search for new approaches to AD therapy is crucial to address the growing burden of this pathology. Medicinal herbs are a promising avenue for the treatment of AD [ 228 , 229 , 230 , 231 , 232 , 233 ]. Natural compounds were the first therapy used for AD [ 233 ].…”

“…Natural compounds were the first therapy used for AD [ 233 ]. Although the mechanisms of therapeutic effects of ayurvedic medicinal herbs remain largely unknown, extensive experimental and clinical studies on phytochemical actions have found a wide range of beneficial effects for AD within these plants [ 228 , 229 , 230 , 231 , 232 , 233 ]. There are several natural components exhibiting therapeutic effectiveness for AD, including flavonoids, polyphenols, sterols, alkaloids, triterpenes, lignans, and tannins with effects against to oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, amyloid deposition, and activity of cholinesterase.…”

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“…Plant-derived sources present an alternative reservoir of bioactive compounds with potential applications of therapeutic or prophylactic agents against various diseases [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. To date, 350,000 vascular plant species are known, and new species are discovered yearly [ 16 ].…”