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. 2024 Apr 22;14(4):536.
doi: 10.3390/life14040536.

The Anti-Cholinesterase Potential of Fifteen Different Species of Narcissus L. (Amaryllidaceae) Collected in Spain

Luciana R Tallini  1   2 , Giulia Manfredini  1   3 , María Lenny Rodríguez-Escobar  1 , Segundo Ríos  4 , Vanessa Martínez-Francés  5 , Gabriela E Feresin  6 , Warley de Souza Borges  7 , Jaume Bastida  1 , Francesc Viladomat  1 , Laura Torras-Claveria  1
Affiliations

The Anti-Cholinesterase Potential of Fifteen Different Species of Narcissus L. (Amaryllidaceae) Collected in Spain

Luciana R Tallini et al. Life (Basel). .

Abstract

Narcissus L. is a renowned plant genus with a notable center of diversity and is primarily located in the Mediterranean region. These plants are widely recognized for their ornamental value, owing to the beauty of their flowers; nonetheless, they also hold pharmacological importance. In Europe, pharmaceutical companies usually use the bulbs of Narcissus pseudonarcissus cv. Carlton to extract galanthamine, which is one of the few medications approved by the FDA for the palliative treatment of mild-to-moderate symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of these plants in Alzheimer's disease. The alkaloid extract from the leaves of different species of Narcissus was obtained by an acid-base extraction work-up -procedure. The biological potential of the samples was carried out by evaluating their ability to inhibit the enzymes acetyl- and butyrylcholinesterase (AChE and BuChE, respectively). The species N. jacetanus exhibited the best inhibition values against AChE, with IC50 values of 0.75 ± 0.03 µg·mL-1, while N. jonquilla was the most active against BuChE, with IC50 values of 11.72 ± 1.15 µg·mL-1.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Amaryllidaceae; Narcissus; acetylcholinesterase; alkaloids; butyrylcholinesterase.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The local collection of the different species of Narcissus in Spain according to Table 1 codes. Source: Google Earth. A = N. assoanus; B = N. jacetanus; C = N. vasconicus; D = N. minor; E = N. confusus; F = N. asturiensis; G = N. hedraeanthus; H = N. alcaracencis; I = N. bujei; J = N. pallidulus; K = N. tazetta; L = N. jonquilla; M = N. genesii-lopezii; N = N. yepesii; O = N. nevadensis. species name when we refer to.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Graph of AChE inhibitory activity of the different samples of alkaloid extracts of Narcissus leaves collected in Spain. A = N. assoanus; B = N. jacetanus; C = N. vasconicus; D = N. minor; E = N. confusus; F = N. asturiensis; G = N. hedraeanthus; H = N. alcaracencis; I = N. bujei; K = N. tazetta; L = N. jonquilla; M = N. genesii-lopezii; N = N. yepesii; O = N. nevadensis; Gal = galanthamine; **** p < 0.0001, ** p < 0.01, ns—not significant.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Graph of BuChE inhibitory activity of the different samples of alkaloid extracts of Narcissus leaves collected in Spain. C = N. vasconicus; E = N. confusus; G = N. hedraeanthus; H = N. alcaracencis; I = N. bujei; L = N. jonquilla; M = N. genesii-lopezii; N = N. yepesii; O = N. nevadensis; Gal = galanthamine; **** p < 0.0001, *** p < 0.001, ** p < 0.01.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Photo of Narcissus jacetanus, the sample with the best results for AChE inhibition.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Photo of Narcissus jonquilla, the sample with the best results for BuChE inhibition (also with noteworthy activity against AChE).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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