title: The therapeutic potential of Berberis darwinii stem-bark: quantification of berberine and in vitro evidence for Alzheimer's disease therapy.
abstract: Berberis darwinii is native to South America but has been widely distributed in Europe and other continents following its discovery by Charles Darwin. Herewith, the therapeutic potential of stem-bark of the plant for treating Alzheimer's disease was studied using an in vitro acetylcholinesterase inhibition assay. It was found that the methanolic extract of the stem-bark was a potent inhibitor of the enzyme with an IC50 value of 1.23 +/- 0.05 microg/mL. An HPLC-based berberine quantification study revealed an astonishing 38% yield of the dried methanolic extract.
authors.affiliation: Pharmacognosy Research Laboratories, Medway School of Science, University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime, Kent, ME4 4TB, United Kingdom. S.Habtemariam@gre.ac.uk
authors.forename: Solomon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Habtemariam
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease; D001599:Berberine / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D028142:Berberis / Q000737:chemistry*; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D024301:Plant Bark / Q000737:chemistry*; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D001599:Berberine