Natural Products as Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors: Potential Agents for Neurological Disorders

The role of medicinal plants has been advantageous due to their manifestation through various cellular and molecular mechanisms. Inhibition of the monoamine oxidase enzyme is suspected to be a highly effective treatment for various neurological illnesses like Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson’s disease, depression, social phobia, and panic disorders. The study of phytochemicals and plant extracts used as a traditional source of medication revealed that they possess the vast potential for monoamine oxidase inhibition. Thus, the article focuses on the potential use of plant extracts and phytochemicals as sources of novel MAO inhibitors for treating neurological disorders. Exhaustive literature search revealed that a variety of phytochemicals from the categories such as flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, alkyl phenyl ketones, coumarin derivatives and essential oils have displayed potential MAO inhibition. This review highlights the progress made in the discovery and development of plant-based MAO inhibitors and aims to provide medicinal chemists with an overview of this information to aid in the development of clinically viable drugs.