Natural Products as Sources of Potential Antiamyloidogenic Agents

Natural products have played a dominant role in the discovery of leads for the development of drugs aimed at the treatment of human diseases. Moreover, they may serve as lead compounds for the synthesis of potential therapeutic agents against several diseases. In this study, we present an integrated approach towards the evaluation of the antiamyloidogenic activity of isolated components from the stigmas of saffron, combining isolation of bioactive components from saffron, real-time in vitro screening for noncovalent association with Aβ by ESI MS and cell viability assays. This is a suitable approach for selecting compounds for the ensuing in vivo studies, and it may provide insights into the design and synthesis of novel compounds for the prevention, or treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD).