Evaluation of Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitory Activities of Selected Plants in the Light of Ethnobotanical and Phytochemical Perspectives

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, and treatment options only relieve the progression of the disease. Thus, the search for new therapeutic agents for AD remains an ongoing challenge. Utilizing the richness of chemical structures in natural sources is one of the most effective approaches in discovering new drug candidate molecules. For this purpose, this study aimed to evaluate the acetylcholinesterase enzyme inhibitory activities of Dysphania botrys (L.) Mosyakin & Clemants, Lotus corniculatus L. var. tenuifolius L., Noaea mucronata (Forssk.) Aschers. et Schweinf. ssp. mucronata, Vicia cracca L. ssp. stenophylla Vel. to assess their potential as natural sources. Ellman's colorimetric assay was used for the determination of enzyme inhibitory activity of n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol extracts of the plants, which were prepared by the partition of crude methanolic extracts by the corresponding solvents and the remaining aqueous phase.The dichloromethane extract of D. botrys between the 30-90 µg/ml concentrations exerted the highest inhibitory activity, with a maximum inhibitory value of 49.9%. Metabolites of active extracts that may be responsible for the activity deserve to be investigated, and further studies are needed.