Context: This is the first comprehensive study of the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity of species of the family Amaryllidaceae and 13 related families from Panama.
Objective: Exploration of the potential sources of AChE inhibitors with radical scavenging activity from Amaryllidaceae and 13 related families from Panama.
Materials and methods: The studied plants were screened with anti-acetylcholinesterase bioautographic and DPPH free radical scavenging assays.
Results: From the 57 plants studied, eight (14%) showed strong inhibition of AChE, and 29 (51%) plants showed moderate inhibition of AChE.
Discussion and conclusion: Sagittaria lancifolia L. (Alismataceae), Crinum jagus (Thomps.) (Amaryllidaceae), Crinum x amabile Donn (Amaryllidaceae), Crinum zeylanicum (L.) L. (Amaryllidaceae), Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora (Lemoine ex Anonymous) N.E. Br. (Iridaceae), Sisyrinchium tinctorium Kunth (Iridaceae), Agapanthus praecox subsp. orientalis (F.M. Leight.) F.M. Leight. (Liliaceae), and Xyris jupicai Rich. (Xyridaceae) were the most active plants, inhibiting AChE at 100 microg on the TLC bioautographic method for the detection of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. Out of the eight most active plants, two plants, Crinum zeylanicum (L.) L. and Xyris jupicai Rich., showed antioxidant activity.