Neuroprotective Potential of Medicinal Plants in Alzheimer's Disease: CurrentPerspectives and Therapeutic Advances

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder worldwide, accounting for 60
70% of all dementia cases
and affe cting over 55 million individuals globally. Current pharmacological therapies, including acetylcholinesterase (AChE)
inhibitors and NMDA receptor antagonists, provide only symptomatic relief and are associated with significant adverse effects ,
underscoring the urgent need for alternative therapeutic strategies. Medicinal plants, with their diverse phytochemical repertoire, have
emerged as promising sources of neuroprotective agents capable of addressing the multifactorial pathogenesis of AD. This revi ew
com prehensively evaluates the neuroprotective potential of key medicinal plants including Bacopa monnieri, Curcuma longa, Ginkgo
biloba, Withania somnifera, and Centella asiatica, among others. We discuss the molecular mechanisms by which their bioactive
cons tituents, encompassing flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, and polyphenols, modulate amyloid beta aggregation, tau
hyperphosphorylation, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and cholinergic dysfunction. Evidence from preclinical and clinica l
studies is crit ically appraised, and emerging nanotechnology based drug delivery approaches to enhance phytochemical bioavailability
are explored. The review highlights multi target therapeutic potential of plant derived compounds as a foundation for future
integrative a nd evidence based pharmac otherapy in Alzheimer's disease