ROLE OF NATURAL PRODUCTS TO PREVENT ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that primarily affects older adults, causing memory loss, cognitive decline, and behavioral changes. Its pathology involves oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and abnormal protein aggregation, particularly amyloid-beta plaques. Current treatments provide only limited symptomatic relief, highlighting the need for new therapeutic strategies. Plant-derived natural products have gained attention for their neuroprotective potential. Medicinal plants such as Ginkgo biloba, Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha), Panax ginseng, Curcuma longa (turmeric), and Camellia sinensis (green tea) contain bioactive compounds with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-amyloid effects. Curcumin inhibits amyloid plaque formation and reduces oxidative stress, while resveratrol enhances mitochondrial function and neuronal survival. Ginseng and Ashwagandha improve cognition and stress resilience, and green tea polyphenols neutralize free radicals and modulate key signaling pathways. Traditional herbal formulations often combine multiple plants for synergistic effects. Although more clinical studies are needed, these plant-based therapies show promise as complementary approaches for AD management.
Keywords:
Alzheimer’s disease, pathophysiology, signs & symptoms, drugs, natural products
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References
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24. Alzobaidi N, Quasimi H, Emad NA, Alhalmi A, Naqvi M. Bioactive compounds and traditional herbal medicine for dementia. Degener Neurol Neuromuscul Dis. 2021;11:1–14. doi:10.2147/DNND.S299589
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26. Doytchinova I, Atanasova M, Salamanova E, Ivanov S, Dimitrov I. Curcumin inhibits amyloid-β primary nucleation: a molecular dynamics study. Biomolecules. 2020;10(9):1323. doi:10.3390/biom10091323
27. Shi Z, Chen H, Zhou X, Yang W, Lin Y. Pharmacological effects of ginsenosides against Alzheimer’s disease. Front Pharmacol. 2022;13:952332. doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.952332
28. Zhang M, Niu H, Li Q, Jiao L, Li H, Wu W. Active compounds of Panax ginseng in Alzheimer’s disease and spatial metabolomics applications. Pharmaceutics. 2023;17(1):38. doi:10.3390/ph17010038
2. GBD 2019 Dementia Collaborators, Nichols E, Abd-Allah F, Abdoli A, Abosetugn AE, Abrha WA, et al. Global mortality from dementia: application of a new method and results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Alzheimers Dement (N Y). 2021;7(1):e12200. doi:10.1002/trc2.12200
3. Park MN, Rahman MA, Rahman MH, Kim JW, Choi M, Kim JW, et al. Potential therapeutic implication of herbal medicine in mitochondria-mediated oxidative stress-related liver diseases. Antioxidants (Basel). 2022;11(10):2041. doi:10.3390/antiox11102041
4. Park SY, Lee HR, Lee WS, Shin HK, Kim HY, Hong KW, et al. Cilostazol modulates autophagic degradation of β-amyloid peptide via SIRT1-coupled LKB1/AMPKα signaling in neuronal cells. PLoS One. 2016;11(8):e0160620. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0160620
5. Papadopoulou P, Polissidis A, Kythreoti G, Sagnou M, Stefanatou A, Theoharides TC. Anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective polyphenols derived from the European olive tree (Olea europaea L.) in long COVID and other cognitive disorders. Int J Mol Sci. 2024;25(20):11040. doi:10.3390/ijms252011040
6. Tohda C, Yang X, Matsui M, Inada Y, Kadomoto E, Nakada S, et al. Diosgenin-rich yam extract enhances cognitive function: a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind, crossover study. Nutrients. 2017;9(10):1160. doi:10.3390/nu9101160
7. Zhou J, Liu T, Cui H, Fan R, Zhang C, Peng W, et al. Xuefuzhuyu decoction improves cognitive impairment after traumatic brain injury via synaptic regulation. Oncotarget. 2017;8(42):72069–72081. doi:10.18632/oncotarget.18895
8. Zhou J, Yang Z, Shen R, Zhong W, Zheng H, Chen Z, et al. Resveratrol improves mitochondrial biogenesis and activates the PGC-1α pathway after subarachnoid hemorrhage. Front Mol Biosci. 2021;8:620683. doi:10.3389/fmolb.2021.620683
9. Zhang Y, Noh K, Song W. Chinese herbal medicines for cognitive function and daily living in Alzheimer’s disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Integr Med Res. 2019;8(2):92–100. doi:10.1016/j.imr.2019.04.006
10. Zhang Y, Lin C, Zhang L, Cui Y, Gu Y, Guo J, et al. Cognitive improvement in mild Alzheimer’s disease with a Chinese herbal formula: a randomized controlled trial. PLoS One. 2015;10(6):e0130353. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0130353
11. Marshe VS, Gorbovskaya I, Kanji S, Kish M, Müller DJ. Clinical implications of APOE genotyping for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease risk estimation. J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2019;126(1):65–85. doi:10.1007/s00702-018-1934-9
12. Ramanan S, Marstaller L, Hodges JR, Piguet O, Irish M. Neural basis of episodic amnesia in logopenic progressive aphasia. Cortex. 2020;125:272–287. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2019.12.026
13. Arellanes IC, Choe N, Solomon V, He X, Kavin B, Martinez AE, et al. Brain delivery of docosahexaenoic acid: a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial. EBioMedicine. 2020;59:102883. doi:10.1016/j.ebiom.2020.102883
14. Youn BY, Ju S, Joo S, Kang H, Jeon K, Cheon C, et al. Complementary and alternative medicine use among Korean elite athletes. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021;2021:5572325. doi:10.1155/2021/5572325
15. Luo XM, Zhang BY, Ding Y, Wang CP, Luo QL, Tan R, et al. Ershiwuwei Shanhu pills regulate Akt/mTOR/GSK-3β signaling in Alzheimer’s disease mice. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2022;47(8):2074–2081. doi:10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20220127.701
16. Zhao Z, Yan J, Huang L, Yang X. Phytochemicals targeting Alzheimer’s disease via the AMPK pathway. Biomed Pharmacother. 2024;173:116373. doi:10.1016/j.biopha.2024.116373
17. Nahar L, Charoensup R, Kalieva K, Habibi E, Guo M, Wang D, et al. Natural products in neurodegenerative diseases: recent advances and future outlook. Front Pharmacol. 2025;16:1529194. doi:10.3389/fphar.2025.1529194
18. Chen X, Drew J, Berney W, Lei W. Neuroprotective natural products for Alzheimer’s disease. Cells. 2021;10(6):1309. doi:10.3390/cells10061309
19. Chen Z, Wang X, Du S, Liu Q, Xu Z, Guo Y, et al. Traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture interventions for Alzheimer’s disease based on neuroinflammation. Chin Med. 2024;19(1):35. doi:10.1186/s13020-024-00900-6
20. Yang F, Lim GP, Begum AN, Ubeda OJ, Simmons MR, Ambegaokar SS, et al. Curcumin inhibits amyloid-β aggregation and reduces amyloid in vivo. J Biol Chem. 2005;280(7):5892–5901. doi:10.1074/jbc.M404751200
21. Qian ZM, Ke Y. Huperzine A as a disease-modifying drug for Alzheimer’s disease. Front Aging Neurosci. 2014;6:216. doi:10.3389/fnagi.2014.00216
22. Xia C, Zhou M, Dong X, Zhao Y, Jiang M, Zhu G, et al. Ginkgo biloba extract inhibits mitochondrial oxidative stress in an Alzheimer’s disease rat model. PLoS One. 2024;19(8):e0307735. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0307735
23. Thancharoen O, Limwattananon C, Waleekhachonloet O, Rattanachotphanit T, Limwattananon P, Limpawattana P. Ginkgo biloba extract versus cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine in Alzheimer’s disease: a network meta-analysis. Drugs Aging. 2019;36:435–452. doi:10.1007/s40266-019-00648-x
24. Alzobaidi N, Quasimi H, Emad NA, Alhalmi A, Naqvi M. Bioactive compounds and traditional herbal medicine for dementia. Degener Neurol Neuromuscul Dis. 2021;11:1–14. doi:10.2147/DNND.S299589
25. Bălaşa AF, Chircov C, Grumezescu AM. Marine biocompounds for neuroprotection. Mar Drugs. 2020;18(6):290. doi:10.3390/md18060290
26. Doytchinova I, Atanasova M, Salamanova E, Ivanov S, Dimitrov I. Curcumin inhibits amyloid-β primary nucleation: a molecular dynamics study. Biomolecules. 2020;10(9):1323. doi:10.3390/biom10091323
27. Shi Z, Chen H, Zhou X, Yang W, Lin Y. Pharmacological effects of ginsenosides against Alzheimer’s disease. Front Pharmacol. 2022;13:952332. doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.952332
28. Zhang M, Niu H, Li Q, Jiao L, Li H, Wu W. Active compounds of Panax ginseng in Alzheimer’s disease and spatial metabolomics applications. Pharmaceutics. 2023;17(1):38. doi:10.3390/ph17010038
Published
25/12/2025
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Thallapaku, J. “ROLE OF NATURAL PRODUCTS TO PREVENT ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE”. International Journal of Health Care and Biological Sciences, Vol. 6, no. 4, Dec. 2025, pp. 25-33, doi:10.46795/ijhcbs.v6i4.814.
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