Some neuroprotective phytochemicals from the medicinal plants Withania somnifera, Bacopa monnieri, and Centella asiatica, their actions and the mechanisms of their actions
| Plant | Neuroprotective phytochemicals | Neuroprpotective action | Mechanism of action | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phytochemicals | Chemical nature | |||
| Withania somnifera | Anaferine | Alkaloids | Protection against neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington’s disease, Parkinsonism, Alzheimer’s disease [24] | GABA mimetic action that promotes dendrites formation [19] |
| Withanolides | Steroidal lactones | |||
| Anahygrine | Alkaloids | |||
| Cuseohygrine | Alkaloids | |||
| Isopelletierine | Alkaloids | |||
| Withaferin A | Steroidal lactones | |||
| Sitoindosides | Acylsterylglucosides | |||
| 5-Dehydroxy withanolide-R | Steroidal lactones | |||
| Withasomniferin-A | Steroidal lactones | |||
| Bacopa monnieri | Bacopaside III | Bascosides | Restoration of memory related disorders, restoration of nerve transmission, defensive role in schizophrenia [25] | NMDAR1 receptor turnover, stimulates certain kinases activity essential for normal neural transmission activity [26] |
| Bacopaside X | Bascosides | |||
| Bacoside A3 | Bascosides | |||
| Bacopasaponin C | Bascosides | |||
| Apigenin | Flavonoid | |||
| Jujubogerin | Saponin glycosides | |||
| Pseudojujubogenin | Saponin glycosides | |||
| Cucurbitacin | Tetracyclic terpenes | |||
| Hersaponin | Alkaloids | |||
| Brahmine | Alkaloids | |||
| Monnierasides I–III | Phenylethanoid glycosides | |||
| D-Mannitol | Sugar alcohol | |||
| Nicotine | Alkaloids | |||
| Herpestine | Glycoside | |||
| Ebelin lactone | Lactone | |||
| Centella asiatica | Eugenol derivatives | Phenylpropanoid derivatives | Enhances cognition, improves memory. Anxiyolytic, anticonvulsant, protects against beta amyloid toxicity [27] | Improves antioxidative signaling pathways like Nrf2 and HO-1 pathways Impacts other signal transduction pathways like ERK1/2 and PKB pathway [27] |
| Flavonoids | Phenylpropanoid derivatives | |||
| Caffeoylquinic acids | Phenylpropanoid derivatives | |||
| Plant sterols | Isoprenoids | |||
| Sesquiterpenes | Isoprenoids | |||
| Pentacyclic triterpenoids | Isoprenoids | |||
| Saponins | Glycoside compounds | |||
NMDAR1: N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 1; Nrf2: nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2; HO-1: heme oxygenase-1; ERK1/2: extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases 1 and 2; PKB: protein kinase B