Potential role of herbal plants and beta sitosterol as a bioactive constituent in circumventing Alzheimer’s Disease

Abstract

Alzheimer's Disease (AD), a neurological ailment, mostly affects the older population all around the world. The rational therapies show limited efficacy, adverse effects, and poor patient compliance; therefore, herbal drugs are considered a suitable supplement to the drug therapy for the treatment of AD. According to research, herbal drugs reduce symptoms of AD and also improve brain functioning through the inhibition of beta amyloid, gamma-secretase, and acetylcholine, along with the regulation of antioxidants and the activation of alpha-secretase. Various herbal plants like Salvia officinalis L., Bertholletia excelsa L., Withania somnifera L., and Urtica dioica L. help slow down the progression of AD by scavenging free radicals, inhibiting lipid peroxidation, beta amyloid and tau phosphorylation. Beta 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 beta sitosterol shows immunomodulatory, lipid-lowering, as well as antioxidant properties. The plant sterol, beta sitosterol, has the capacity to decrease beta-amyloid platelet synthesis, indicating that it might be helpful in the treatment and prevention of AD. Treatment with beta-sitosterol can lessen plaque burden and also enhance spatial learning and recognition abilities in patients suffering from AD.