Current Enzyme Inhibition - Volume 20, Issue 3, 2024

The aim is to systematize data from literature sources on the study of changes in the activity of HMGR enzymes and lipid metabolism under the influence of cyclic lactones, identify among them new potential inhibitors of HMGR and formulate hypotheses about the details of the mechanism of action of the enzyme in relation to the product - mevalonolactone.

In this modern era, the environment is being contaminated with toxic pollutants as a result of anthropogenic activities. To overcome the harmful effects of pollutants, scientists have developed ideas and technologies. Biotechnology provides a green approach for decontaminating the environment, i.e., bioremediation. Several organisms have been explored for their enzymes. Enzymes belonging to various classes are useful for degrading, transforming, or removal of pollutants. Oxidoreductases produced by different plants, bacteria, and fungi are useful for deterioration of toxic pollutants, like compounds having aroma, called aromatic compounds (benzene, chlorine, phenols, phenanthrene, etc.), PAHs (Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons), various dyes, etc. Oxidoreductases are further classified as laccases, peroxidases, and oxygenases. All three classes have proven to be efficacious in the field of bioremediation. Microorganism strains have also been genetically engineered for the production of enzymes. Oxidoreductases can be used to remove pollutants from industrial waste. This review has classified all the species that produce oxidoreductase enzymes, their mechanism of action, and the pollutants that have been removed by using oxidoreductases.

Memory loss or dementia is the key symptom of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In AD, significant interference in a progressive manner is observed in memory, behaviour, and cognitive abilities that affect the daily life of a person. At present, more than 50 million people are affected worldwide with Alzheimer's disease. Urgent attention is needed for the symptomatic regulation and management of this disease. The significant pharmacotherapy research in the last two decades gave only four drug compounds galanthamine, donepezil, rivastigmine, and memantine that inhibit the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) to elevate the availability of acetylcholine in the brain for symptomatic relief in AD patients. Plant-based AChE inhibitors from many plant families, mainly including Rutaceae, Papaveraceae, Apocynaceae, Rubiaceae, Amaryllidaceae, Liliaceae, Lycopodiaceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, etc., have been characterized for the management of AD progression. AD progression is described by cholinergic, amyloid, Tau protein, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammatory hypothesis. To date, there is no comprehensive review in the literature that combined all plants of the Apocynaceae family showing anti-AChE activity. Therefore, the current review aims to present significant literature, especially on plant-derived compounds from the Apocynaceae family that inhibit AChE. The review compiled all plants showing potent anti-acetylcholinesterase activity. The anti-AChE activity of more than 30 plants is described, which may be potential targets to find new drug molecules by attracting the attention of researchers toward the Apocynaceae family. More than 8 species of genus Tabernaemontana of Apocynaceae have been investigated for indole alkaloids, demonstrating AChE inhibitory activity. The majority of anti-AChE compounds belong to the class of alkaloids.