Aloe vera is found in many bathrooms to soothe sunburn and minor irritations. Researchers now suggest that one of its compounds could also act much further, in the heart of the brain. A new study indicates that a molecule from this plant could interfere with mechanisms involved in memory loss linked to
Alzheimer’s disease.
Conducted by the University of Casablanca and published in the journal
Current Pharmaceutical Analysisthis work screened several compounds from the leaves of
Aloe vera using computer simulations. One of them, the beta-sitosterolemerges as a serious candidate for blocking two key Alzheimer’s enzymes, AChE and BChE. The first results are intriguing, but the road to possible treatment still remains very long.
Aloe vera and Alzheimer’s disease: why this avenue interests researchers
Alzheimer’s disease progressively causes problems with memory, orientation and then autonomy. One of the major biological avenues studied for decades concerns acetylcholine, a chemical messenger that allows neurons to communicate. In the brains of sick people, this signal is already weakened, in part because two enzymes, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), degrade it too quickly.
The most widely used current treatments, such as donepezil, galantamine or rivastigmine, already seek to slow down these enzymes. They can improve memory or attention a little, but their effects remain limited in time and are sometimes accompanied by digestive or cardiac side effects. Hence the interest in finding new molecules capable of targeting AChE and also BChE, which sees its activity increase in the advanced stages of the disease.
Aloe vera’s beta-sitosterol targets key enzymes linked to Alzheimer’s
In this study, the authors listed around ten molecules naturally present in the leaves ofAloe verathen simulated by computer the way in which they bind to AChE and BChE. THE beta-sitosterola plant sterol close to cholesterol, stood out with strong binding energies for AChE and for BChE. In addition, the complexes formed with the two enzymes remain stable over time.
“Our results show that beta-sitosterol exhibits significant binding affinity and stability. This makes it a potential candidate for the development of future drugs, notably as a dual inhibitor for the management of Alzheimer’s disease.“, said Meriem Khedraoui, researcher at the University of Casablanca and lead author of the study.
Evaluation of the pharmacokinetics of the compound (ADMET for absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity) predicts good intestinal absorption, possible passage of the blood-brain barrier and the absence of major toxicity: “Comprehensive analysis supports the potential of these compounds as safe and effective therapeutic agents“, declared Samir Chtita, teacher-researcher at the University of Casablanca.
Can we already count on Aloe vera against Alzheimer’s disease?
The authors insist that their work remains entirely virtual: no experiments on cells, animals or patients have yet confirmed these results. A molecule that works well in modeling still has to go through many steps before becoming a drug, and many fail along the way.
Nevertheless, this study provides an important basis for future research into herbal therapies for Alzheimer’s disease. “Our approach in silico
offers a promising perspective for the development of new treatments against Alzheimer’s disease”declared Meriem Khedraoui.
These compounds therefore constitute a basis for the development of new drugs, which could lead to innovative therapies against Alzheimer’s disease.