IN-VITRO ANTICHOLINESTERASE ACTIVITY OF PHYLLANTHUS EMBLICA AND TAMARINDUS INDICA

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a major type of dementia. AD is associated with memory impairment and cognitive deficit. It is characterized by low levels of acetylcholine in the brain of AD patients. The inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) has been one of the most used strategies for the management of mild to moderate AD. In the present study, n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and hydroalcoholic leaf extracts of two medicinal plants Phyllanthus emblica (Euphorbiaceae) and Tamarindus indica (Fabaceae) were screened for anticholinesterase activity and compared with standard acetyl-cholinesterase inhibitor (galantamine) by Ellman’s spectrophotometric method. The results obtained from the three extracts of P. emblica and T. indica against AChE enzyme was evaluated for percentage inhibition and IC₅₀ values. Among the extracts of P. emblica, ethyl acetate extract (96.62 ± 0.165) at a concentration of 200 µg/ml was found to be potent. Ethyl acetate extract of T. indica showed very potent inhibition (97.55 ± 0.087) at the concentration of 200 µg/ml and found to be equally potent with that of galantamine (98.63 ± 0.046) at the concentration of 200 µg/ml. Out of three extracts of P. emblica and T. indica, inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) data reveals that strongest AChE inhibition activity was exhibited by hydroalcoholic extract of P. emblica with (IC₅₀ = 0.033 μg/ml) followed by ethyl acetate extract of T. indica with (IC₅₀ = 0.046 μg/ml) when compared to galantamine (IC₅₀ = 0.837 μg/ml). The most active extracts showed the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, and tannins, which may be related to strong AChE inhibition.