Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia. Currently, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition is the most widely used therapeutic treatment.
A large number of naturally occurring compounds have been found to inhibit AChE. In this report the mechanism of AChE inhibition of two Amaryllidaceae alkaloids, 8-O-demethylmaritidine (1) and undulatine (2), and their possible penetration across the blood-brain barrier have been studied.
Both compounds act via a mixed inhibition mechanism. Based on the parallel artificial permeation assay (PAMPA) for the prediction of blood brain barrier (BBB) penetration, only 2 should be able to cross the BBB by passive permeation.