Phytochemical Analysis and Evaluation of Biological Activity of Lawsonia inermis Seeds Related to Alzheimer's Disease

Using Lawsonia inermis L. (henna) seeds has been frequently recommended for the improvement of memory in Iranian Traditional Medicine (ITM). In this respect, different fractions of the plant were prepared and evaluated for their in vitro biological assays related to Alzheimer's disease (AD), including acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitory activity as well as metal chelating ability and DPPH antioxidant activity. The dichloromethane and ethyl acetate fractions were able to inhibit the BChE selectively with IC50 values of 113.47 and 124.90 mu g/mL, respectively, compared with donepezil as the reference drug (IC50 = 1.52 mu g/mL). However, all fractions were inactive toward AChE. Phytochemical analysis of the dichloromethane fraction indicated the presence of beta-sitosterol (1), 3-O-beta-acetyloleanolic acid (2), 3-O-(Z)-coumaroyl oleanolic acid (3), betulinic acid (4), and oleanolic acid (5). The inhibitory activity of isolated compounds was also evaluated toward AChE and BChE. Among them, compounds 2 and 5 showed potent inhibitory activity toward BChE with IC50 values of 77.13 and 72.20 mu M, respectively. However, all compounds were inactive toward AChE. Moreover, molecular docking study confirmed desired interactions between those compounds and the BChE active site. The ability of fractions and compounds to chelate biometals (Cu2+, Fe2+, and Zn2+) was also investigated. Finally, DPPH antioxidant assay revealed that the ethyl acetate (IC50 = 3.08 mu g/mL) and methanol (IC50 = 3.64 mu g/mL) fractions possessed excellent antioxidant activity in comparison to BHA as the positive control (IC50 = 3.79 mu g/mL).

Automated summary

The study demonstrated that Lawsonia inermis L. (henna) seeds can be utilized for memory improvement in Iranian Traditional Medicine, with certain fractions and compounds showing selective inhibition of butyrylcholinesterase, good metal chelating ability, and antioxidant activity.