Jatamansinol from Nardostachys jatamansi: a multi-targeted neuroprotective agent for Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a multifactorial progressive and irreversible neurodegenerative disorder characterized by severe memory impairment and cognitive disability in the middle and old-aged human population. There are no proven drugs for AD treatment and prevention. In Ayurveda, medhya plants are used to prepare Rasayana, and its consumption improves memory and cognition. Nardostachys jatamansi (D.Don) DC is a medhya plant used in traditional medicine to treat neurological disorders, and its unique pyranocoumarins can be a potential drug candidate for AD. Given its traditional claims, this study aims to find the multi-target potential efficacy of the ligands (drug molecules) against the AD from N. jatamansi pyranocoumarins using computational drug discovery techniques. Drug likeliness analysis confirms that pyranocoumarins of N. jatamansi, such as seselin, jatamansinol, jatamansine, jatamansinone, and dihydrojatamansin are probable drug candidates for AD. Molecular docking, molecular dynamic simulations, and Molecular Mechanics/Generalized Born Surface Area (MM-GBSA) analysis confirm that dihydrojatamansin inhibits acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and jatamansinol inhibits butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), glycogen synthase kinase 3ß (GSK3ß), and kelch-like ECH-associating protein 1 (Keap1) AD therapeutic targets. Therefore, this study provides potential multi-target inhibitors that would further validate experimental studies, leading to new treatments for AD.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Jatamansinol from Nardostachys jatamansi Ameliorates Tau-Induced Neurotoxicity in Drosophila Alzheimer's Disease Model.

Nardostachys jatamansi has long been used to prepare Medhya Rasayana in traditional Indian Ayurveda medicine to treat neurological disorders and enhance memory. Jatamansinol from the N. jatamansi against Alzheimer's disease (AD) showed that it could be a multitargeted drug against AD. Drosophila is an ideal model organism for studying a progressive age-related neurodegenerative disease such as AD since its neuronal organizations and functioning are highly similar to that of humans. The current study investigates the neuroprotective properties of jatamansinol against Tau-induced neurotoxicity in the AD Drosophila model. Results indicate jatamansinol is not an antifeedant for larva and adult Drosophila. Lifespan, locomotor activity, learning and memory, Tau protein expression level, eye degeneration, oxidative stress level, and cholinesterase activities were analyzed in 10, 20, and 30-day-old control (wild type), and tauopathy flies reared on jatamansinol supplemented food or regular food without jatamansinol supplementation. Jatamansinol treatment significantly extends the lifespan, improves locomotor activity, enhances learning and memory, and reduces Tau protein levels in tauopathy flies. It boosts the antioxidant enzyme activities, prevents Tau-induced oxidative stress, ameliorates eye degeneration, and inhibits cholinesterase activities in Tau-induced AD model. This study provides the first evidence that jatamansinol protects against Tau's neurotoxic effect in the AD Drosophila model, and it can be a potential therapeutic drug candidate for AD.

Convolvulus pluricaulis (Shankhapushpi) ameliorates human microtubule-associated protein tau (hMAPτ) induced neurotoxicity in Alzheimer's disease Drosophila model.

Convolvulus pluricaulis (Shankhapushpi) has long been used as traditional herbal medicine in India as nerve tonic. We studied the neuroprotective effects of C. pluricaulis extract (aqueous) against human microtubule-associated protein tau (hMAPτ) induced neurotoxicity in Alzheimer's disease (AD) Drosophila model. We analysed the lifespan, locomotor activity, τ protein level, reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation (LPO), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities in 10th, 20th and 30th days old control (wild type), τ control tauopathy Drosophila reared on C. pluricaulis supplemented with regular food or regular standard food. C. pluricaulis significantly offsets hMAPτ induced early death and extends the lifespan and diminishes the level of τ protein in tauopathy Drosophila. C. pluricaulis also enhances the antioxidant enzyme activities and ameliorates the τ-induced oxidative stress and restore the depleted AChE activity in the fly model. This study provides the first evidence that supplementation of C. pluricaulis along with the regular standard food ameliorate the neurotoxic effect of hMAPτ in AD Drosophila model and also reveals that it is a potent neuroprotective agent.