Background: Neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson,are the most common type of diseases in the aging population. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors have been used as a drug for the symptomatic treatment of such diseases. However, the drugs presently used in the management of the disease have various drawbacks. As we know, plants are a potential source of bioactive compounds and offer a promising strategy for the treatment ofvarious diseases. So the aim of this study was to find new potent inhibitors for AChE among some plant extracts. Materials and Methods: Methanolic extracts of 35 plants species (whole plant) were screened for their AChE inhibitory activity by a modified Ellman’s method at 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2 mg/mL concentration. The acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory capacity of plants was determined against electric eel AChE enzyme. Galanthamine, dissolved in methanol, was used as a positive control. Every experiment was done in triplicate. Results: Methanolic extract of Trifoliumrepens and- Medicago sativa showed a considerable inhibition value of AChE (both plants belonging to the Fabaceae family), 56.44± 0.012% (0.5 mgml-1) and 51.93 ± 0.038% (0.25 mgml-1), respectively. Their IC50 values were 0.47 mg/ mL and 0.20 mg/mL, respectively.These resultssuggest that the most effective extracts deserve further investigation with the aim of obtaining new moleculesfor the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.
