Pentacyclic triterpenes as bioactive compounds isolated from <i>Mauritia flexuosa</i> L. f. acting against the Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer's disease is a significant concern due to its high prevalence and the limitations of current treatments. In our research, we investigated <i>Mauritia flexuosa</i>, a medicinal plant traditionally used for headaches, to identify active compounds with potential anti-Alzheimer's effects. Three pentacyclic triterpenes were isolated through column chromatography and characterised from the dichloromethane/methanol extract from <i>Mauritia flexuosa</i> (DCMEMf), with (3<i>β</i>)-3-hydroxy-11-oxours-12-en-28-oic acid (<b>3</b>) showing the highest <i>in vitro</i> activity in the HMC3 and SVG p12 cell lines. Compound <b>3</b> inhibited the pharmacological targets NF-κB, PGE2, IDO1, and EGFR with IC₅₀ values of 9.83, 3.86, 1.63 μM, and 49.57 nM, respectively, attributed to a hydroxyl group at the C-3 position of its structure. These findings suggest the potential of these compounds in treating neurological diseases, including headaches, and offer promising prospects for the development of new therapies against Alzheimer's.