The discovery of several revitalizing molecules that can stop or reduce the pathology of a wide range of diseases will be considered a major breakthrough of the present time. Available synthetic compounds may provoke side effects and health issues, which heightens the need for molecules from plants and other natural resources under discovery as potential methods of replacing synthetic compounds. In traditional medicinal therapies, several plant extracts and phytochemicals have been reported to impart remedial effects as better alternatives. Murraya koenigii (M. koenigii) belongs to the Rutaceae family, which is commonly used as a medicinally important herb of Indian origin in the Ayurvedic system of medicine. Previous reports have demonstrated that the leaves, roots, and bark of this plant are rich sources of carbazole alkaloids, which produce potent biological activities and pharmacological effects. These include antioxidant, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and neuroprotective activities. The present review provides insight into the major components of M. koenigii and their pharmacological activities against different pathological conditions. The review also emphasizes the need for more research on the molecular basis of such activity in various cellular and animal models to validate the efficacy of M. koenigii and its derivatives as potent therapeutic agents.

BackgroundParkinson's disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by loss of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra and depletion of dopamine in striatum due to mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, apoptosis, inflammation and proteasome failure.PurposeThe present study deals with the neuroprotective effect of resveratrol, a wine polyphenol (50 mg/kg body weight) against MPTP (30mg/kg body weight as i.p. administration) induced mice model of idiopathic Parkinson's disease.MethodsA combination of behaviour tasks and biochemical parameters were tested using standard molecular tools.ResultsPretreatment of resveratrol significantly reversed toxic effects of MPTP by increasing the levels of dopamine, its metabolites, GSH and activities of GPx and reducing levels of TBARS, catalase and SOD activities along with enhanced behavior performance.ConclusionThe multifactorial etiology of these diseases suggests that drugs with multiple targets such as resveratrol could have therapeutic potential for these pathologies.

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Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease due to dopaminergic neuron degeneration. It mostly affects the aged population, leads to memory decline and loss of motor coordination. The present study investigates the neuroprotective role of myricetin a flavonol isolated from the brown seaweed in rotenone induced model of PD. Rotenone administration led to dopaminergic neuronal degeneration, dopamine depletion, impaired muscular coordination, gait disturbances, memory decline oxidative stress and apoptosis.  Ingestion of myricetin by significantly prevented rotenone induced neuronal degeneration. These results confirm that myricetin exerts neuroprotective effect in experimental PD.

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