Objectives: Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is a common treatment for early stages of the most general form of dementia, Alzheimer's disease. In this study selected components of essential oils, which carry a variety of important functional groups, were tested for their in-vitro anti-acetylcholinesterase activity.
Methods: In-vitro anti-acetylcholinesterase activity was measured by an adapted version of Ellman's colorimetric assay.
Key findings: 1,8-cineole, carvacrol, myrtenal and verbenone apparently inhibited AChE; the highest inhibitory activity was observed for myrtenal (IC50 = 0.17 mm). This is the first study showing the AChE inhibitory activity of myrtenal.
Conclusions: Our investigations provided evidence for the efficacy of monoterpenes as inhibitors of AChE.
© 2011 The Authors. JPP © 2011 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.