In vitro Evaluation of Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitory and Neuroprotective Activity in Commiphora species: A Comparative Study

Introduction: Herbal medicines are widely used in the therapeutic intervention that could delay the onset of Neurodegenerative diseases like, Alzheimer’s disease. Despite intensive advancements in the field of research currently available therapeutic strategies are often limited due to their adverse effects. Hence there is a need for the search for novel compounds for effective medications to treat neurocognitive deficits. Objective: The present study focused on acetylcholinesterase inhibitory and neuroprotective activity of Commiphora species plant for their possible use in Alzheimer’s disease. Methods: Phytochemical screening, TLC bioautographic and colourimetric assay was performed to quantify their acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity of ethanolic extracts of the Commiphora species. The MTT assay was carried to evaluate the neuroprotective effect against the Aβ-induced cytotoxicity in SHSY5Y cell lines. Results: The bark of Commiphora berryi, leaves of Commiphora caudata and Commiphora pubescens were found abundant in flavonoids, glycosides, steroids and terpenoids. Further, the ethanol extract of Commiphora berryi (65.48% ± 0.10) showed the highest acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity. The Aβ_25-35 induced cell damage was as evidenced at a concentration of 20μM. The neuroprotective effect of the ethanol extracts was examined in neurodegenerative cells induced by Aβ_25-35. On pretreatment with plant extracts, significant improvement in cell viability was observed as 63.42 ± 2.02% (25μg/ml) for Commiphora berryi. The maximum percentage of in-vitro AChE inhibition and neuroprotective effect was effective in the ethanol bark extract of Commiphora berryi. Conclusion: The results are very rousing to continue the screening of more unexplored plant species could be used for the development of novel bioactive compounds to treat the many diseases, especially for Alzheimer's disease.