Role of NMDA Receptors in Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology and Potential NMDA Receptor Blockers from Medicinal Plants - A Review

Alzheimer’s disease is responsible for 60-70 percent of dementia cases worldwide. Globally, there are 24.3 million cases. Researchers have attempted to develop multi-target medications to suppress several mechanisms in Alzheimer’ Disease, like protein mis-folding and related beta amyloid aggregation, oxidative stress, and decreasing Acetyl choline levels. NMDA-mediated neurotoxicity is often linked to cognitive impairment, as shown in Alzheimer’s disease. NMDA receptors found to have to connection with beta amyloid peptide and tau protein deposition which are major characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease. NMDA receptor antagonists are a viable therapy option for a many neurological disorders, as well as Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, majority of the drugs used in the management of Alzheimer’s disease are Acetyl choline Esterase inhibitors. Memantine is the only approved NMDA blocker, to be used in Alzheimer’s disease, which is found to be effective only to a certain extend. There is a need for better therapeutic agents belonging to this class. This paper intends to provide a rapid reference about the involvement of NMDA receptors in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as phyto constituents that have been identified to inhibit NMDA receptors.