Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder in humans. It is responsible for memory loss and it is a major contributor (60-70 %) for dementia. The definite cause of AD still remains unclear. There are hypothesis that holds acetylcholinesterase and butylcholinesterase - enzymes responsible for hydrolysis of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter in the human brain into choline and acetate. Acetylcholine plays a significant role in memory boost. Tyrosinase, which catalyzes the oxidation of phenols like tyrosine and dopamine, can produce reactive oxygen and nitrogen species leading to cell death. Blueberries, classified under genus Vaccinium, are known to have anti-oxidant phytonutrients with high levels of anthocyanins and phenolic content that helps in anti-aging. This research primarily focuses on examination of blueberries for the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase and tyrosinase in-vitro and at cellular level. Blueberry samples were extracted to obtain polar compounds and were subsequently identified using LC-MS from Waters ACQUITYTM UPLC-Q-TOF-MS system with a BEH C18 column. The blueberry extract showed strong inhibition on acetylcholinesterase and tyrosinase, with the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 94 μg/mL for acetylcholinesterase and IC50 of 90 μg/mL for tyrosinase. The inhibition of acetylcholinesterase by blueberry is uncompetitive in nature. Furthermore, our result demonstrated that blueberry extract inhibited the synthesis of acetylcholinesterase in cellular model.