Natural Product Formulations for the Prevention and Treatment of Alzheimer's disease: A Patent Review

摘要

Introduction: Although considerable efforts have been made to develop effective therapeuticagents for Alzheimer's Disease (AD), neither a consensus concerning the pathogenesis of the diseasenor a successful therapy for its treatment is yet available. The natural product chemistry bringstremendous diversity and abundant resource for medical needs.Objectives: The present review summarizes recent patents on natural extracts and derived drugs asagents for the prevention and treatment of AD. It also sums up the suggested mechanisms of action ofthe formulated natural remedies.Conclusion: It is now becoming well accepted that multiple factors contribute to the progression ofAD. The pathogenesis of the disease involves amyloid-β cascade, tau hyperphosphorylation, oxidativestress, inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, protein misfolding, gene mutation, etc. It has beensuggested that the multifactorial nature of AD pathogenesis requires the design of medicines with awide spectrum of activity. Medicinal herbs are known to consist of multiple compounds and may implicatemultiple mechanisms, thus being advantageous over the simple single-target drugs in thetreatment of complex diseases. Indeed, natural products attract increased attention. In the last decades,they have become a major focus in the quest for AD remedies and may represent a real promise forcuring the disease.