Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia
in the elderly, is affecting millions of people worldwide. The ailment
is characterized by a complex neurodegenerative process occurring
in the central nervous system which leads to progressive cognitive
decline and memory loss. [1] The etiology of AD is not fully known,
although factors including the low levels of acetylcholine (ACh),
accumulation of abnormal proteins namely -amyloid and -protein,
homeostasis irregularity of biometals, and oxidative stress are
considered to play significant roles in the pathophysiology of AD.[2] At the present , clinical therapy for AD patients is primarily
established upon the cholinergic hypothesis which suggests that the
decline of the ACh level might lead to cognitive and memory
deficits, and drugs with the ability of inhibiting acetylcholinesterase
(AChE) would control symptoms of the disease.[1] Chalcone is a sub-group of flavonoid and is the intermediary in
the synthesis process of other flavonoids, pyrazoline, isoxazole, and
quinolinylpyrimidine. There are a lot of chalcone compounds which
are reported to have a diverse array of bioactivities such as
antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antioxidant, antitumoral, and other
characteristics such as anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiulce. Recent
studies on the bioactivities of chalcone compounds have also
revealed their abilities in inhibiting enzymes including urease, -
glucosidase, lipoxygenase, acetylcholinesterase, mammalian alphaamylase, xanthine oxidase58, monoamine oxidase (MAO), and -
secretase. In addition, it was reported that chalcone derivatives
exhibit high binding affinity to A aggregates in vitro, and they2
could serve as a useful mean for in vivo imaging of A plaques in
Alzheimer’s brain.[2-4] The studies on bioactivities of chalcone
derivatives on the function of human brain promise the finding of
new drugs for the treatment of many diseases including AD.