Profiling the acetyl cholinesterase inhibitory potential of methanol extract of certain Nigerian plants

Abstract

The acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory potential of some methanol extract of Nigerian plants was assessed. The plant parts were obtained from a local market in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria, dried and extracted with methanol solvent. Five different concentrations; 0.2 mg/ml, 0.4 mg/ml, 0.6 mg/ml, and 0.8 mg/ml of the extracted samples were used while neostigmine was used as the standard. The methanol extracts of Anonna muricata, Carica papaya, Solanum macrocarpon, Datura metel, Xylopia aethiopica, Syzygium aromaticum and Ocimum gratissium exerted a better inhibitory effect on AChE activity while Vernonia amygdalina showed a very low inhibitory effect on the enzyme activity. The inhibition kinetics were studied, A. muricata, C. papaya, S. macrocarpon and D. metel inhibited AChE activity in a competitive manner, while X. aethiopica, S. aromaticum, O. gratissium and V. amygdalina showed non-competitive inhibition on AChE activity.