Anticholinesterase Activity in an Alkaloid Extract of Huperzia saururus

ORTEGA MARÍA GABRIELA, AGNESE ALICIA MARIEL Y CABRERA JOSÉ LUIS.

PHYTOMEDICINE

Urban & Fisher Verlag

Lugar: Jena. Germany; Año: 2004 vol. 11 p. 539 - 543

0944-7113

Huperzia saururus (Lam.) Trevis. (Lycopodiaceae) is widely used in Argentinian traditional medicine as an aphrodisiac and for memory improvement. An aqueous extract from the aerial parts was obtained by decoction, revealing the presence of alkaloids, among other constituents. By partition with organic solvent in alkaline media alkaloids were extracted and then purified by gel permeation. The anticholinesterase activity in vitro of the alkaloid extract using erythrocyte membranes and human serum as sources of acetylcholinesterase and pseudocholinesterase respectively was studied. The results show a marked inhibition on true acetylcholinesterase with an IC50 of 0.58 mg/ml. Low inhibition was  observed on pseudocholinesterase (IC50 191  mg/ml). This shows a selectivity of the extract on the true acetylcholinesterase. Furthermore, chemical study of the bioactive extract was performed by GC-MS, which revealed the presence of seven Lycopodium alkaloids, among other not identified yet: sauroxine, 6-hydroxylycopodine, N-acetyllycodine, lycopodine, lycodine, N-methyllycodine, and clavolonine. Further investigations will be undertaken in order to discover through which compound/s the aqueous extract performs its acetylcholinesterase activity. Indice de impacto (ISI, 2004): 1,201