Centella asiatica Nanoparticles as Potential Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors for Cognitive Decline Therapy Using the Ellman Method: an In Vitro Study

According to the World Health Organization (2021), cognitive impairment affects 65,6 million elderly people worldwide. Decreased cognitive function in the elderly is caused by neurocognitive changes and inflammation in nerve cells that can interfere with quality of life. Pegagan extract is known to have neuroprotective potential through the active compounds contained in it. An effective drug delivery system is needed so that the active compounds of the drug act as neuroprotective agents through the apoptosis signal inhibition pathway that can cross the blood brain barier (BBB) at adequate concentrations to provide neuroactive effects that support the potential use of this extract as neurotherapy. In this case, pEG-400 was chosen as the drug delivery system. This research was conducted at Universitas Airlangga by covering several stages of testing, namely the GC-MS test to identify active compounds in pegagan extract, tryptamine, γ-sitosterol and β-sitosterol which play a role in improving cognitive function. Synthesis shows that the 1:100 formulation between pegagan extract and pEG-400 produces ideal-sized nanoparticles (5-7 nm), which are optimal for penetrating the BBB. PSA and SEM tests support these results by showing homogeneous particle morphology and consistent chemical composition. High in vitro Ellman's reagent inhibition test with 97.63% effectiveness indicates that the 1:100 formulation is effective as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. The 1:1 and 1:100 formulations are very effective in acting as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. This study shows that the combination of pEG-400 and pegagan extract has great potential as an innovative pharmacological therapy for such cases, but further research is needed to ensure the right dosage and development of research results.