Abstract
Ayurveda is one of the ancient traditional healthcare systems that originated in India. A number of herbal-based medicinal preparations have been used for the treatment of health disorders associated with the nervous system. According to Alzheimer’s disease Facts and Figures, millions of people around the world are suffering with cognitive impairment. Cognitive ailments and diseases are a group of disorders associated with mental health. The cognitive disorders mainly comprise of acute and chronic or reversible or irreversible conditions such as amnesia, delirium, and various types of dementia. These disorders primarily cause deficits in cognitive tasks associated with awareness, insight, knowledge, memory, and problem-solving skills. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. It is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that occurs due to excessive protein deposition inside and outside the neuron, oxidative stress, apoptosis, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, and excitotoxicity. These neurotoxic mechanisms cause synaptic disturbance, alteration of neurotransmission leading to neurodegeneration. Centella asiatica is a well-known medicinal herb used in Ayurveda to improve cognitive functions since ancient times. In this article, we review the therapeutic potential of Centella asiatica in relation to its neuroprotective properties.
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- 15-LOX:
-
15- Lipoxygenase
- 3-NPA:
-
3-Nitropropionic acid
- 5-HT:
-
Serotonin
- Ach:
-
Acetylcholine
- AChE:
-
Acetylcholinesterase
- AD:
-
Alzheimer’s disease
- ADDLs:
-
Aβ-derived diffusible ligands
- AICD:
-
APP intracellular domain
- AMPARs:
-
2-Amino-3-(3-hydroxy-5-methyl-isoxazol-4-yl) propionic acid receptors
- APH-1:
-
Anterior pharynx-defective 1
- APP:
-
Amyloid β precursor protein
- ATP:
-
Adenosine triphosphate
- Aβ:
-
Amyloid beta
- BACE:
-
Beta-site APP-cleaving enzyme
- BBB:
-
Blood-brain barrier
- BDNF:
-
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor
- C83:
-
Carboxyl-terminal 83-aa fragment
- Ca2+ :
-
Calcium
- cAMP:
-
Cyclic adenosine monophosphate
- CNS:
-
Central nervous system
- COX-2:
-
Cyclooxygenase 2
- CREB:
-
Cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element-binding protein
- CTLs:
-
T-cell lymphocytes
- FAD:
-
Familial Alzheimer’s disease
- GABA:
-
Gamma-aminobutyric acid
- GAD:
-
Glutamate decarboxylase enzyme
- GLT:
-
Glutamate transporter
- IFN:
-
Interferon
- IL:
-
Interleukin
- iPLA2 :
-
Ca2+-independent phospholipase A2
- LTP:
-
Long-term potentiation
- MAPK:
-
Mitogen-activated protein kinase
- mGluRs:
-
Metabotropic glutamate receptors
- MPTP:
-
1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine
- NADPH:
-
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase
- NE:
-
Norepinephrine
- NFTs:
-
The neurofibrillary tangles
- NMDARs:
-
N-Methyl-D-aspartate receptors
- NO:
-
Nitric oxide
- NSAIDs:
-
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
- O2− :
-
Superoxide radical
- PEN-1:
-
Presenilin 1
- PEN-2:
-
Presenilin 2
- PKA:
-
Protein kinase A
- PLA2 :
-
Phospholipase A2
- PS:
-
Presenilin
- SAD:
-
Sporadic Alzheimer’s disease
- SPs:
-
Senile plaques
- TNF:
-
Tumor necrosis factors
- β-CTF:
-
Carboxyl-terminal 99-aa fragment
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Ahuja, M., Patel, M., Majrashi, M., Mulabagal, V., Dhanasekaran, M. (2017). Centella asiatica, an Ayurvedic Medicinal Plant, Prevents the Major Neurodegenerative and Neurotoxic Mechanisms Associated with Cognitive Impairment. In: Agrawal, D., Tsay, HS., Shyur, LF., Wu, YC., Wang, SY. (eds) Medicinal Plants and Fungi: Recent Advances in Research and Development. Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World, vol 4. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5978-0_1
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