Berberine in the Treatment of Neurodegenerative Diseases and Nanotechnology Enabled Targeted Delivery

Abstract

Background: Berberine (BBR), an alkaloidal compound found in many plants, is widely used for hundreds of years in the traditional system of Chinese medicine. Objective/Aim: The present review is aimed to summarize the potential of Berberine in the amelioration of various neurological disorders. Methods: The collection of data for the compilation of this review work was searched in PubMed Scopus, Google Scholar, and Science Direct. Of late, researchers are more focused on its beneficial role in neurodegenerative diseases. Result: BBR has proven its protective role in numerous neurotoxicity models including, oxygen-glucose deprivation, mercury-induced, neurodegenerative model by ibotenic acid, and hypoxia caused by COCl2. BBR treatment averts the generation of reactive oxygen species in the oxygen-glucose deprivation model. Further, it subdues cytochrome c along with the divulge of apoptosis-inducing factors that indicate its beneficial action in the management of stroke. BBR diminished hydrogen peroxide-induced neuronal damage by enhancing the PI3k / Akt / Nrf-2 based pathway and showed a preventive impact on neurites of SH-SY5Y cells by averting the formation of ROS and inhibiting apoptosis. The impact of BBR on neurological disorder using a transgenic AD type mouse strain (TgCRND8) showed a reduction in the piling up of amyloid-β plaque. In mice, administration of BBR in the dose range of 5-10m/kg has been reported to raise the levels of serotonin (47%), dopamine (31%), and norepinephrine (29%) in CNS to allay depression. Conclusion: The present review is aimed to summarize the potential of Berberine in the amelioration of various neurological disorders.

Evaluation of The Ameliorative Effect of Green Tea Versus Berberine on Methyl Mercury Toxicity of Cerebellum in Adult Male Albino Rats, Histological & Immunohistochemical Study.

“…Impaired intracellular Ca 2+ homeostasis due to decrease of calbindin content in the Purkinje cells induces neuronal degeneration or even cell death (Dhar et al,2018). Mohamed et al, (2021) Din et al,2022).…”

Synthetic and Natural Bioactive Molecules in Balancing the Crosstalk among Common Signaling Pathways in Alzheimer’s Disease: Understanding the Neurotoxic Mechanisms for Therapeutic Intervention

“…There is evidence that berberine possesses antioxidant, AChE and butyrylcholinesterase inhibition, cholesterol-lowering, and monoamine oxidase inhibitory effects . Researchers found that BBR inhibited Aβ-induced increase in IL-6, COX-2, and iNOS expression as well as tau hyperphosphorylation and the production of Aβ in vitro. − BBR reduced NF-κB in microglia by blocking the PI3K/PKB and MAPK pathways. , It has been observed that the use of BBR (100 mg/kg), which promotes learning and long-term spatial memory retention in Tg mice and decreases the amount of C-terminal APP fragment in N2a murine neuroblastoma, reduces APP and tau protein hyperphosphorylation through AKT/GSK3 signaling …”

“…Recent findings have revealed that natural bioactive molecules hold a future promise in this category. Such molecules possess powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties; hence they receive special attention for their potential anti-Alzheimer activity. − However, these natural medicines have various pharmaceutical constraints, such as insufficient lipophilicity and target site selectivity, limiting their potential use against AD . To circumvent these limitations, current research aims to alter these natural medicines by adding or removing distinct functional groups in the pharmacophore.…”

Berberine: A Promising Treatment for Neurodegenerative Diseases

“…Berberine has proven its protective role on oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, neuroprotection, etc. ( Zhang et al, 2012 ; Maleki et al, 2018 ; de Oliveira et al, 2019 ; Li Z. et al, 2020a ; Qin et al, 2020 ; Rezaeian et al, 2020 ; Mohi-Ud-Din et al, 2021 ). And whether it can be used to improve the symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases has attracted widespread attention.…”