Research progress on flavonoids isolated from traditional Chinese medicine in treatment of Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a severe condition in aging countries. The currently used drugs including donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine, and memantine are effective in managing the symptoms. However, they are hardly capable of preventing, halting, or reversing the disease. In the long history of development of traditional Chinese medicine, much experience has accumulated and is summarized in treatment of diseases that correspond to the concept of AD. In recent years, exploration of natural active ingredients from medicinal herbs for treatment of AD has attracted substantial attention. Some flavonoids have been revealed to have a variety of biological actions such as scavenging free radicals, inhibiting neuron apoptosis, and nurturing neuronal cells that constitute the basis for treatment of AD. In this article, we review recent research progress on flavonoids isolated from traditional Chinese medicine against AD and their underlying mechanisms.