Alzheimer´s disease is a global neurodegenerative health concern. To prevent the disease, the simultaneous inhibition of acetylcholinesterase and oxidative stress is an efficient approach. In this study, the inhibition effect of all-trans astaxanthin mainly from marine organisms on acetylcholinesterase and oxidative stress was evaluated by a chemical-based method in vitro and cell assay model. The results show that all-trans astaxanthin was a reversible competitive inhibitor and exhibited a strong inhibition effect with half inhibitory concentration (IC50 value) of 8.64 μmol/L. Furthermore, all-trans astaxanthin inhibited oxidative stress through reducing malondialdehyde content and increasing the activity of superoxide dismutase as well as catalase. All-trans astaxanthin could induce the changes of the secondary structure to reduce acetylcholinesterase activity. Molecular-docking analysis reveals that all-trans astaxanthin prevented substrate from binding to acetylcholinesterase by occupying the space of the active pocket to cause the inhibition. Our finding suggests that all-trans astaxanthin might be a nutraceutical supplement for Alzheimer´s disease prevention.
Keywords: Alzheimer´s disease; acetylcholinesterase; all-trans astaxanthin; oxidative stress.