Potential of Phenolic Metabolites from Gymnopetalum cochinchinense for Alzheimer's Disease Alleviation.

This study attempts to explore the neuroprotective potential of Gymnopetalum cochinchinense (Lour.) through the evaluation of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition activities. The achieved extract, containing a high total phenolic content (256.03 ± 1.50 mg GAE/g), exhibits potent radical-scavenging activity (IC50 = 22.45 ± 0.21 μg/mL for DPPH; 29.37 ± 0.72 μg/mL for ABTS), 97.04% inhibition of nitric oxide production, and over 40% inhibition of AChE activity at 100 μg/mL. LC-MS/MS profiling identifies rutin (278.39 ± 3.34 μg/g) and epigallocatechin gallate (205.63 ± 1.80 μg/g) as the major phenolic constituents. Molecular docking reveals that rutin, epigallocatechin gallate, and hesperidin exhibit strong binding affinities within the catalytic site of AChE, suggesting their contribution to the observed inhibitory activity. These findings provide the first comprehensive evidence that G. cochinchinense is a rich source of phenolic metabolites with significant AChE-inhibitory and antioxidant activities, supporting its potential as a natural resource for the development of nutraceuticals with neuroprotective benefits.