Work

Phytochemical composition and anti-Alzheimer potential of medicinal plants from Central and West Africa: Systematic review

Year: 2026

Type: review

Abstract: In recent time, the use of medicinal plants in the management of human disease condition have gained immense attention, the aim of the present review was to explore the phytochemical composition and anti-Alzheimer potential of medicinal plants from Central and West Africa. A structured systematic approach was used to conduct the present systematic review of articles. Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science were searched using the following search terms combined by Boolean operators: (“Alzheimer’s disease” OR “Neurodegenerative disease” OR "Nervous system diseases") AND (“Extract” OR "herbs" OR “Plant”) AND (“West Africa” OR “Central Africa” OR “Africa”) on the 6 th of July 2024 without any filters. Following the conclusion of the title, abstract and full text screening, only 13 articles were included. Most of them (10/13, 77%) were conducted between 2014 and 2024. Geographically, 9 (69%) studies were conducted in Nigeria. Plant identified in the present study include; Solanum macrocarpon , Solanum nigru, Pteleopsis suberosa, Macrosphyra longistyl, Beta vulgaris, Persea Americana, Syzygium aromaticum, Citrullus lanatus, Cucumeropsis mannii, Lagenaria siceraria, Achyranthes aspera Linn., Tithonia diversifolia. These plants were found to contain Luteolin, Catechin, Decanoic acid methyl ester, 11,14-Eicosadienoic acid methyl ester, Caffeic acid, Syringic acid, Azelaic acid. The plant-derived phytochemicals were reported to modulate critical Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathways, notably oxidative stress, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition, and neuroinflammation. In conclusion, Central and West African medicinal plants represent a rich reservoir of multifunctional neuroprotective metabolites capable of targeting diverse AD pathways. • Plant from Central and West Africa contains Luteolin, Catechin, Decanoic acid methyl ester • Plant-derived phytochemicals modulated oxidative stress pathway • Plant-derived phytochemicals inhibited acetylcholinesterase • Plant-derived phytochemicals mitigated neuroinflammation

Source: Toxicology Reports

DOI: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2026.102205