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The plant Cissus tuberosa Moc is abundant in phenolics, has been documented to have neuroprotective properties. The study seeks to determine the neuroprotective effects of C. tuberosa ethanolic extract (CTE) against Parkinson's disease by evaluating its impact on motor dysfunction, cognitive deficits, neuroinflammation, and neurodegeneration in paraquat-induced Parkinson's disease models. The research hypothesizes that CTE can modulate key biomarkers involved in Parkinson's pathology, including α-synuclein, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), assessed through qRT-PCR, as well as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and TNF-α, evaluated through ELISA. Parkinson disease was induced by using paraquat intraperitoneally. The study was designed by considering various groups with their respective treatments, control group treated normally, disease control receiving paraquat (1 mg/kg, i.p.), standard treated grabbed with (levodopa+carbidopa), and three treatment groups received plant extract (150, 300, 600 mg/kg) respectively for 21 days study period. Both behavioral, and biochemical analysis were performed. HPLC analysis revealed the presence of several phenolic compounds. CTE significantly improved motor function and cognitive performance in rats, showing a dose-dependent reduction in paraquat-induced neurotoxicity (150 < 300 < 600 mg/kg, P<0.001). CTE significantly restored antioxidant enzyme levels (P<0.001), contributing to the alleviation of oxidative stress. Neurotransmitter levels were significantly improved in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.001), while acetylcholinesterase (AChE) levels were significantly reduced (P<0.001). CTE treatment showed significant restoration of brain tissue, reducing neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, thereby preserving normal brain structure. ELISA testing demonstrated a significant (P<0.001) downregulation of IL-6 and TNF-α levels in CTE-treated groups. qRT-PCR results showed significant downregulation of α-synuclein, IL-1β, and TNF-α mRNA expression in CTE-treated groups compared to the diseased group, suggesting neuroprotective effects. The study concludes that CTE has potential therapeutic effects in alleviating Parkinson's disease symptoms, primarily through its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Saadullah et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Objectives: Mazus pumilus (MP) an Asian flowering plant, known for various reported pharmacological activities including antioxidant, anti-nociceptive, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antibacterial, antifungal, and hepatoprotective effects. This study focused on further exploring Mazus pumilus' s methanol leaf extract (MPM) for bioactive principles and investigating its neuroprotective and cognition-enhancing potential in Alzheimer's disease models., Methods: For the phytochemical screening and identification, TLC, HPLC, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) were employed. In-vitro antioxidant potential was assayed by DPPH Free Radical Scavenging method, followed by in-vivo neuroprotective effect of MPM (100, 200, 300 mg/kg) using Wistar-albino rats, sodium azide for induction of AD and rivastigmine as standard. Over 21 days, we observed neurobehavioral changes and performed biochemical (GSH, CAT, SOD, and AchE activity) and histopathological evaluations., Results: Results revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, amino acids, terpenoids, glycosides, sterols, and saponins. HPLC analysis confirmed the presence of gallic acids, sinapic acid, and caffeic acid. DPPH confirmed the antioxidant effect of MPM, which served as a base for its potential neuroprotective activity. Biochemically, oxidative stress markers improved significantly post-treatment, with decreased GSH, SOD, CAT levels, and increased AchE activity, indicating a reversal of AD-induced changes. Behavioral assessments showed improvements in locomotion, memory, spatial learning, and cognition. Histologically, there was a dose-dependent reduction in neurodegenerative features like neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid beta plaques., Conclusions: Hence, this study concluded MPM is a promising candidate for prophylaxis and treatment of behavioral deficits and cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease., (© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.)

Neurodegeneration is a multifactorial process involved the different cytotoxic pathways that lead to neuronal cell death. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a persistent neurodegenerative disorder that normally has a steady onset and gradually worsens. Neuropathology, AD is characterized by the presence of neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, increased oxidative stress, decreased antioxidant defense as well as increased acetylcholinesterase activity. Moreover, enhanced expression of amyloid precursor proteins leads to neural apoptosis, which has a vital role in the degeneration of neurons. The inability of commercial therapeutics to treat a single feature of AD pathology leads to the attraction towards organic drugs. Ellagic acid is a dimer of gallic acid; latest studies revealed that ellagic acid can initiate numerous cell signaling transmissions and decrease the progression of neurodegeneration. The neuroprotective effects of ellagic acid to protect the neurons against neurodegenerative events are due to its antioxidant effect, iron chelating, and mitochondrial protective effect. The main goal of this review is to critically analyze the molecular mechanism of action of ellagic acid against AD., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Tribulus terrestris (T.T) is enriched with steroidal saponins and flavonoids which have neuroprotective effect. The study was aimed to explore the potential of T.T methanol extract (T.T ME) for anti-Alzheirmer activity along with its safety evaluation. Plant was characterized by physicochemical, phytochemical and GCMS analyses whereas acute oral toxicity (OECD 425) was performed for safety evaluation. AlCl 3 induced Alzheimer's disease rat model was used for anti-Alzheirmer activity. T.T ME was given orally at 100, 300 and 1000 mg/kg doses for 21 days and behavioral parameters were observed on 22nd study day. Physicochemical parameters were in permissible limits. GCMS analysis showed eight different compounds and benzene dicarboxylic acid showed maximum % peak area (64.19). No mortality was noted in acute toxicity study. Behavioral studies showed highly significant (p<0.001) improvement in T.T ME treated groups. Antioxidant enzymes and acetylcholinesterase levels were significantly (p<0.05) improved on treatment with T.T ME. Histopathological analysis indicated that neurofibrillary tangles were significantly improved in T.T ME treated groups. Biochemical and behavioral results suggested that T.T contained lead compounds which are effective in the treatment of Alzheimer disease.