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Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson disease (PD) are notorious neurodegenerative diseases amongst the general population. Being age-associated diseases, the prevalence of AD and PD is forecasted to rapidly escalate with the progressive aging population of the world. These diseases are complex and multifactorial. Among the different events, amyloid β peptide (Aβ) induced toxicity is a well‐established pathway of neuronal cell death which plays a vital function in AD. Glutamate, the major excitatory transmitter, acts a neurotoxin when present in excess at the synapses; this latter mechanism is termed as excitotoxicity. It is hypothesised that glutamate-induced excitotoxicity contributes to the pathogenesis of AD and PD. No cure for AD and PD is currently available and the currently approved drugs available to treat these diseases have limited effectiveness and pose adverse effects. Indeed, plants have been a major source for the discovery of novel pharmacologically active compounds for distinct pathological conditions. Diverse plant species employed for brain related disorders in the traditional medicine are being explored to determine them scientific rationale behind their uses. Herein, we present a comprehensive review of plants and their constituents have shown promise in reversing the (i) amyloid-β -related toxicity in AD models and (ii) glutamate-induced excitotoxicity in AD and PD models. This review summarizes information with regard to the phytochemistry, biological and cellular activities as well as clinical trials of several plant species in view to provide adequate scientific baseline information that could be used in drug development process, thereby providing effective leads for AD and PD.
Amyloid precursor protein and amyloid β-peptide bind to ATP synthase and regulate its activity at the surface of neural cells