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Alzheimer´s disease (AD) is a degenerative neurological disorder characterized by senile plaques containing amyloid ß protein and loss of cholinergic neuromediators in the brain. The most remarkable biochemical change in AD patients is reduction of acetylcholine (ACh) level in hippocampus and cortex in the brain. Therefore, inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), the enzyme responsible for hydrolysis of ACh at the cholinergic synapse, is currently the most established approach to treat AD. There are a few synthetic medicines, e.g. tacrine, donepezil, galantamine and the natural based-products rivastigmine and physostigmine for treatment of cognitive dysfunction and memory loss associated with AD. These compounds have been reported to have adverse effects including gastrointestinal disturbances and problems associated with bioavailability, which reinforces the interest in finding better AChE inhibitors from natural resources. Recent studies found that Alzheimer's patients with dementia often have "disturbance in antioxidant balance which may predispose to increased oxidative stress". The aim of this work was to determine antiacetylcholinesterase as well as antioxidant activity of essential oil from Dalmatian endemic black pine needles, Pinus nigra Arnold ssp. dalmatica (Vis.) Franco. Essential oil of Dalmatian endemic black pine needles, Pinus nigra Arnold ssp. dalmatica (Vis.) Franco, has complex chemical composition. Determination of its chemical composition was carried out by means of GC/MS spectrometry. The main components of the oil are α-pinene (24, 3%), β-pinene (16, 0%), germacrene D (14, 6%) and β-caryophyllene (9, 6%). Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme inhibitory activity was determined using Ellman method. AChE inhibitory activity of Dalmatian black pine essential oil compared with potent AChE inhibitor physostigmine showed relatively good inhibitory effect. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using DPPH and FRAP assays. The results showed weak antioxidant activity in both cases in comparison to commercially used antioxidants (BHT and vitamin C). Low antioxidant activity of Dalmatian black pine essential oil can be ascribed to the lack of compounds containing -OH groups, to which is usually ascribed. |
