Blackberry (Morus nigra) usage in Parkinson’s disease

Other components of interest

In this chapter, we have reviewed the beneficial effects of Morus nigra against the Parkinson’s disease. The extract of Mucuna pruriens (commercially available as HP-200) has been shown to be twice as effective as the equivalent dose of l-Dopa in rats (Manyam, Dhanasekaran, & Hare, 2004). Ephedrine, a major component of Ephedra, has been reported to improve dyskinesia associated with PD (Houghton & Howes, 2005). Ibogaine, an indole alkaloid, obtained from African plant Tabernanthe iboga has the property to release dopamine but also inhibit the release of catecholamines by blocking the nicotinic receptor (Mah, Tang, Liauw, Nagel, & Schneider, 1998). The root extract of Banisteriopsis caapi has been reported to release dopamine from striatal cells (Schwarz, Houghton, Rose, Jenner, & Lees, 2003). Epigallocatechin-3-gallate, curcumin, geraniol, tangeritin, genistein, apigenin, quercetin, luteolin, nordihydroguaiaretic acid, kaempferol, capsaicin, and myricetin have been reported to improve PD symptoms in various experimental models (Ara, Afzal, Jyoti, Naz, & Siddique, 2019; Beg et al., 2018; Chung et al., 2017; El-Horany, El-latif, ElBatsh, & Emam, 2016; Fatima & Siddique, 2019; Nabavi et al., 2018; Rekha, Selvakumar, Sethupathy, Santha, & Sivakamasundari, 2013; Siddique, Ara, Jyoti, & Afzal, 2012; Siddique, Jyoti, & Naz, 2014, 2018; Siddique, Naz, & Jyoti, 2014; Siddique, Ara, Faisal, & Afzal, 2011; Siddique, Naz, & Rashid, 2019). Essa et al. (2014) have extensively reviewed the role of natural plant products playing role in reducing the pathological symptoms of PD. The extract of Alpinia oxyphylla, Apium graveolens, Buddleja officinalis, Cistanche salsa, Cruciferous vegetables, Dimocarpus longan, Allium sativum, Ginkgo biloba, Camellia sinensis, and Ligusticum wallichii has shown neuroprotective effects against MPTP-induced neurotoxicity and their active constituents with the mechanism have been extensively reviewed by Abushouk, Negida, Ahmed, and Abdel-Daim (2017). A number of plant extracts and phytochemicals have shown neuroprotective effects and α-synuclein oligomerization and fibrillation by targeting different key stages of its formation. This aspect has been extensively reviewed by Javed et al. (2019). Natural components and the antioxidants present in Ginkgo biloba, Ginseng, Decalepis hamiltonii, Scutellaria baicalensis, Valeriana officinalis, Passiflora incarnata, and Hypericum perforatum have been shown to reduce the PD symptoms and oxidative stress associated with the pathogenesis of the disease in various in vitro as well as in vivo models (Corona, 2018; Jahromi, Haddadi, Shivanandappa, & Ramesh, 2015). The application of natural products and counteracting the oxidative stress has been very exhaustively reviewed by Pohl and Lin (2018). Unani polyherbal formulations (UPFs) such as Majun baladur and Majun falasfa have also shown to improve cognitive defects, reduced oxidative stress in brains, and increase the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase in the dopaminergic neurons of the transgenic Drosophila model of PD (Siddique, Naz, & Rashid, 2019; Siddique, Naz, & Rashid, 2021).