This review provides a comprehensive account of advances in the field of cholinesterase inhibitors isolated from the Buxaceae family. Naturally occurring anticholinesterases derived from plants are considered to be a potential source of new drug candidates for treating Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD is now universally accepted as an irreversible, incurable, and progressive neurological disorder. Initiating with memory impairment, propagating with cognitive deficit, and ultimately leading to death is the general pathway of AD. Lower level of acetylcholine in the brain is characterized as one of the prominent reasons for AD. The cholinergic hypothesis states that elevated levels of acetylcholine in the brain can alleviate symptoms of AD. Steroidal and terpenoidal alkaloids isolated from plants of the Buxaceae family have been reviewed here for their anticholinesterase activity. Most of them have shown in vitro inhibition of horse serum butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE, EC 3.1.1.7) and electric eel acetylcholinesterase (AChE, EC 3.1.1.8). Although the general consensus has concluded that cholinesterase inhibitors may alleviate AD symptoms but cannot cure the disease, new drugs are still being sought to improve the quality of life of AD patients. Steroidal and terpenoidal anticholinesterase alkaloids can prove to be a promising group of AChE inhibitors.

• Klíčová slova
• Alzheimer’s disease, Buxaceae, acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase., cholinesterase inhibitors, inhibition,
• MeSH
• Alzheimerova nemoc * farmakoterapie   MeSH
• cholinesterasové inhibitory * terapeutické užití   farmakologie   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• rostlinné extrakty * terapeutické užití   chemie   farmakologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• přehledy MeSH
• Názvy látek
• cholinesterasové inhibitory * MeSH
• rostlinné extrakty * MeSH

Nowadays, due to the increase in the number of aging population groups, there is also a growth of aging diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), which is a progressive brain disorder that eventually results in death. At the moment, it cannot be cured, only its symptoms can be alleviated both by using pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches in order to maintain and in some cases even enhance quality of life of people living with AD, as well as their caregivers. One of such non-pharmacological approaches is the use of assistive technology (AT), which can contribute to the improvement and maintenance of the quality of life of both patients and their caregivers. The purpose of this study was to explore what types of AT are mostly used by patients with AD and how these devices can help their caregivers. This was done by conducting a literature review of available sources found in the Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed. The findings, apart from one study, reveal that AT may have the potential to maintain the quality of life of people with AD, especially in the early stages of the disease, as well as to mitigate the mental and physical burden of their caregivers. The most common types of AT for patients with AD are devices of daily living and safety devices. The less frequent are still telecare devices and devices to support engagement, social participation, and leisure. Future research should focus on the effectiveness of AT on the improvement of patients' symptoms, as well as on the development and use of AT for social interactions, which can be used in patients with AD of different degree of severity and have a positive impact on their behavioral and psychological symptoms.

• Klíčová slova
• Alzheimer’s disease, assistive technology, benefits, caregivers, patients,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• přehledy MeSH