Plant Based HMG-Co-A Reductase Inhibitors as Therapeutic Molecules for AD Amyloidopathy

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases that is prevalent and rapidly escalation in the present global scenario. The exact etiology of AD is idiopathic but a certain population of affected AD patients were observed to have genetic causes behind the onset of disease. The two potential markers for alzheimer’s is presence of β-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tau tangles. Current treatment strategies are symptomatic and provide no cure. Statins are a class of anti-hyperlipidemic drugs that prevent the biosynthesis of cholesterol by inhibiting an enzyme HMG CoA reductase which is important in the rate limiting step. Various studies suggested that cholesterol plays a role in the amyloidogenic pathway, by increasing the activity of ɣ-secretase. Furthermore, it is suspected to play a role in phosphorylation of tau protein. Therefore, use of statins could be one strategy in the treatment of AD. For this study, we have considered phytoconstituents known to have HMG CoA reductase inhibitor activity and determined their usefulness in AD.