The Potential of Herbal Plants and Bioactive β Sitosterol in Circumventing Alzheimer’s Disease – A Review

Abstract

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), a neurological ailment, mostly affects the older population all around the world. Rational therapies show limited efficacy, adverse effects, and poor patient compliance therefore herbal drugs are considered as a suitable supplementation to the drug therapy for the treatment of AD. According to research, herbal drugs reduce symptoms of AD and also improve brain functioning by the inhibition of β amyloid, γ-secretase, and acetylcholine along with the regulation of antioxidants and the activation of α-secretase. Various herbal plants like Salvia officinalis, Bertholletia excelsa, Withania somnifera and Urtica dioica help in slowing down the progression of AD by scavenging the free radicals, inhibiting of lipid peroxidation, β amyloid, and tau phosphorylation. β sitosterol, a phytosterol found abundantly in plants has the ability to cross the Blood Brain Barrier and thus acts as a bioactive constituent in circumventing various neurological disorders. Numerous in vitro and in vivo investigations indicate that β sitosterol shows immunomodulatory, lipid-lowering as well as antioxidant properties. The plant sterol, β sitosterol has the capacity to decrease β amyloid platelet synthesis, indicating that it might be helpful in the treatment of prevention of AD. Treatment with β sitosterol can lessen plaque burden and also enhance spatial learning and recognition ability in patients suffering from AD.