Argentine valerians: Potential effects on CNS targets related to Alzheimer disease.

CAROLINA MARCUCCI, ; NATALIA COLETTIS,; FABIOLA KAMECKI; MARINA RADEMACHER,; HERNÁN GERÓNIMO BACH,; MARCELO LUIS WAGNER,; RAFAEL ALEJANDRO RICCO,; MARIEL MARDER.

Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires

Congreso; XXXIV Reunión Anual SAN 2019; 2019

Alzheimer´s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease whose pathophysiology is associated with an abnormal accumulation of proteins (β-amyloid, tau), oxidative stress, alterations in neurotransmitter levels (mainly acetylcholine), among others. Our country harbors several thousands of plant species, which lack scientific information although many of them are used in folk medicine. Our hypothesis is that native plants have unexplored compounds with multiple biological activities on CNS. Herein we present a study of hydroalcoholic extracts of 5 Argentine valerians (underground parts): V. carnosa, V. macrorhiza, V. clarionifolia, V. effusa y V. ferax, y V. officinalis (Caprifoliaceae). These extracts were evaluated in vitro for the presence of acetyl and butyrilcholinesterase inhibitors (AChE/BChE, mice brain homogenate/plasma); inhibition of β amyloid peptide aggregation and antioxidant properties (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical ?DPPH assay). Although all extracts were able to inhibit both AChE (IC50 between 1.1-12.1 mg/ml) and BChE (IC50 between 0.0018 -1.46 mg/ml), the most promising results were obtained for BChE, where V. clarionifolia showed the highest inhibition. Futhermore, all valerians (0.1 mg/ml) inhibited β amyloid aggregation, V. effusa and V. clarionifolia were the most active. Regarding the antioxidant activity, a direct relationship between the antioxidant capacity and the phenol content was observed. Our study is an important contribution for the discovery of unkwown native herbal products with CNS effects to develop novel therapeutical agents and strategies.