Natural Compounds and Their Derivatives as Multifunctional Agents for the Treatment of Alzheimer Disease

Tundis et al. have furnished a thorough description of various natural compoundsand their derivatives as multifunctional agents for the treatment of ADin Chapter 3. AD is a complex and progressive neurodegenerative disease andis one of the greatest challenges to modern medicine because multiple pathogeneticfactors are associated with this disease. The current pharmacologic treatmentoffers limited symptomatic benefits. Since the pathogenesis of this deadlydisease involves multiple factors, the search for multifunctional agents with thepotential of inhibiting amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregation as well as the activity ofcertain enzymes such as β-secretase, monoamine oxidase, and cholinesteraseand also capable of interacting with N-methyl d-aspartate, cannabinoid, or histaminereceptors is an attractive approach for the development of new drugsin this domain. Herein, the authors have presented the available scientific dataabout promising medicinal plants and plant-based supplements investigated aspotential sources of neuroprotective agents. Their multitarget properties mayallow them to be potential agents in prevention and treatment of the age-associatedneurodegenerative diseases. This illuminating review on anti-Alzheimer plantproducts would obviously motivate the researchers to undertake in-depth furtherresearch.