Lycopodiaceae from Panama: A new source of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors

Abstract

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors have been used for the symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Eleven whole plants from Panama belonging to the Lycopodiaceae family have been screened for their anticholinesterase inhibitory and antioxidant activities by a thin-layer chromatography (TLC) bioautography method. Of these, only Lycopodium clavatum subsp. clavatum showed strong AChE inhibition. Seven plant extracts showed moderate inhibition, two of them, Huperzia cf chamaeleon and Huperzia reflexa, also possessed an antioxidant activity. This is the first report of anticholinesterase and antioxidant activities in these two native plants. Additionally, alkaloid extracts of the Lycopodiaceae plants were also analysed by TLC and LC-MS to identify the well-known AchE inhibitor, huperzine A. Two plants, H. cf chamaeleon and H. reflexa var. minor, showed the presence of huperzine.

Keywords:

• acetylcholinesterase inhibitors
• Lycopodiaceae
• TLC bioautography method
• Huperzia
• Lycopodiella
• Lycopodium

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by grants awarded to AIC by International Foundation for Science and Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (IFS grant no. F3766-1) and National Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation (SENACYT), Panama (grant no. P-06-0042A). Thanks are also due to the Organisation of American States for the support to Project SEDI/AICD/AE/036/06-09 and to the National Environmental Authority of Panama for granting permission to collect plants in national parks.