Biology

Thioflavin

Peptide

Senile plaques

Amyloid beta

Amyloid (mycology)

P3 peptide

Alzheimer's disease

Biochemistry

Computer science

Fibril

Toxicity

Neurotoxicity

Amyloid precursor protein

Internal medicine

Medicine

Chemistry

Programming language

BETA (programming language)

Disease

Pathology

Neuroreport

Mulberry leaf has been reported to possess medicinal properties, including hypoglycemic, hypotensive and diuretic effects. Little is known, however, about its medicinal properties for central nervous system disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. Accumulating evidence suggests that amyloid beta-peptide (1-42) plays an important role in the etiology of Alzheimer's disease. Here we show that mulberry leaf extract inhibits the amyloid beta-peptide (1-42) fibril formation by both the thioflavin T fluorescence assay and atomic force microscopy. Furthermore, mulberry leaf extract protected hippocampal neurons against amyloid beta-peptide (1-42)-induced cell death in a concentration-dependent manner. These results suggest that mulberry leaf extract provides a viable treatment for Alzheimer's disease through the inhibition of amyloid beta-peptide (1-42) fibril formation and attenuation of amyloid beta-peptide (1-42)-induced neurotoxicity.

Mulberry leaf extract prevents amyloid beta-peptide fibril formation and neurotoxicity