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Planta Med 2003; 69(3): 265-267
DOI: 10.1055/s-2003-38489
Letter
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

α-Onocerin: An Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitor from Lycopodium clavatum

Ilkay Orhan1 , Salih Terzioglu2 , Bilge Şener1
  • 1Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey
  • 2Department of Forestry Botanic, Faculty of Forestry, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey
Further Information

Publication History

Received: June 20, 2002

Accepted: December 7, 2002

Publication Date:
04 April 2003 (online)

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Abstract

In order to find new acetylcholinesterase inhibitors from natural sources which have therapeutic potential in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, the chloroform : methanol (1 : 1) extracts of five Lycopodium species (L. clavatum L., L. selago L., L. annotinum L., L. alpinum L., and L. complanatum ssp. chamaecyparissus A. (Br.) Döll.), growing in Turkey (Lycopodiaceae), were screened in vitro by the Ellman spectrophotometric method at 1 mg/ml concentration. Among these extracts, only the extract of L. clavatum was found to be active (49.85 %). Bioassay-guided fractionation of the chloroform extract of L. clavatum led to the isolation of α-onocerin (IC50 = 5.2 μM), a well-known triterpenoid, as the responsible compound for the activity.

Abbreviations

AChE:Acetylcholinesterase

AD:Alzheimer's Disease

DTNB:5,5′-dithio-bis(2-nitrobenzoic acid)

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Dr. Ilkay Orhan

Department of Pharmacognosy

Faculty of Pharmacy

Gazi University

06330 Ankara-Turkey

Email: iorhan@gazi-edu.tr

Fax: +90.312.2133921

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