Title:Alkaloids Pharmacological Activities - Prospects for the Development of Phytopharmaceuticals for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Volume: 17
Issue: 7
Author(s): Soane K.M. Chaves, Chistiane M. Feitosa and Lidiane da S. Araújo
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Alkaloids, anticholinesterase, antidepressants, anti-inflammatories, antioxidant, anxiolytic, neurodegenerative
disease.
Abstract: The study of natural substances has increased in recent years in the search for compounds
with pharmacological properties that can be used for the development of new drugs. The alkaloids,
substances extracted natural sources, show promising pharmacological activities, including pharmacological
activities for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, whose
treatment is based on the use of various drugs. Thus, the article aims to a technological prospecting of
alkaloids that presented important properties in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, namely,
antioxidant, anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory and antidepressant properties. A literature review was conducted
in the databases PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Scielo and Google Academics using the following key words:
alkaloids, pharmacology, neurodegenerative diseases, cholinesterase inhibitors, antidepressants, anti-inflammatories, antioxidant
and anxiolytic. Articles, dissertations and theses published between 2003 and 2015 were selected. Several studies
showed through in vitro of in vitro and/or in vivo methods that many alkaloids extracted from plants showed anticholinesterase,
antioxidant, anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory and antidepressant properties in the treatment of symptoms and
progression of certain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.