Potential roles of α-amylase in Alzheimer’s disease: Biomarker and drug target

: Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, is pathologically characterized by the deposition of amyloid-β plaques and the formation of neurofibrillary tangles. In a neurodegenerative brain, glucose metabolism is also impaired and considered as one of the key features in AD patients. The impairment causes a reduction in glucose transporters and the uptake of glucose as well as alterations in the specific activity of glycolytic enzymes. Recently, it has been reported that α-amylase, a polysaccharide-degrading enzyme, is present in the human brain. The enzyme is known to be associated with various diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus and hyperamylasaemia. With this information at hand, we hypothesize that α-amylase could have a vital role in the demented brains of AD patients. This review aims to shed insight into the possible link between the expression levels of α-amylase and AD. Lastly, we also cover the diverse role of amylase inhibitors and how they could serve as a therapeutic agent to manage or stop AD progression.

In Vitro Studies on Alpha-amylase Inhibitory Activities of Zanthoxylum armatum of Mid-Western Regions of Nepal

The alpha-amylase inhibitors are used as a drug to control hyperglycemia in type II diabetes mellitus. The plant extract is a natural source to minimize toxicity and other side effects. The alpha-amylase inhibition assay shows that the methanol extracts of fruits, seeds, leaves, and barks of Z. armatum exhibit 50% alpha-amylase inhibition activity at concentration 47.73 μg/mL, 50.25 μg/mL, 67.25 μg/mL, 152.6 μg/mL respectively, and hexane extracts of fruits, seeds, leaves and barks of Z. armatum exhibits 50% alpha-amylase inhibition activity at concentration 86.24 μg/mL, 84.02 μg/mL, 98.8 μg/mL, 138.81 μg/mL respectively, whereas the 50% alpha-amylase inhibition activity of Acarbose (standard) was found to be 33.66 μg/mL. Therefore, methanol and hexane extracts of fruits, seeds, and leaves show potential alpha-amylase inhibition activity and can be used as anti-diabetes.