Potential anti-Alzheimer’s disease activities of the roots of Desmodium caudatum

• The anti-Alzheimer’s disease effects of the roots of D. caudatum were studied.
• 13 compounds were obtained and 6 ones were firstly isolated from the genus.
• 4 compounds showed strong antioxidant and anti-amyloid-β aggregation effects.
• 2 compounds exhibited superior inhibitory activities on choline esterase.
• The coexistence of various compounds clarified a multi-targets effect of the plant.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder and mainly initiated by the overproduction of amyloid-β (Aβ). The potential anti-AD evaluations of the roots of Desmodium caudatum, an industrial crop in the south of China with high medical and economic value, led to the isolation of 13 compounds, of which six ones were firstly obtained from the genus of Desmodium. Four compounds (1, 3, 10 and 11) showed strong free radical scavenging abilities and anti-Aβ aggregation effects, which revealed the close associations between antioxidant and anti-Aβ aggregation effects. Another two compounds (6 and 13) exhibited superior inhibitory activities on choline esterase. Therefore, the coexistence of various compounds clarified the multi-factors and multi-targets property of this industrial crop, which could act on different proteins and pathways and finally play an important role in the prevention and treatment of AD. Due to the strong biological effects in all tests and higher amount (126 mg) than the others, 8-prenylquercetin could be applied as a potential candidate agent in food and medicinal industry, and designated as a characteristic ingredient for the quality control of the plant material.

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