The therapeutic potential of Berberis darwinii stem-bark: quantification of berberine and in vitro evidence for Alzheimer's disease therapy.

Berberis darwinii is native to South America but has been widely distributed in Europe and other continents following its discovery by Charles Darwin. Herewith, the therapeutic potential of stem-bark of the plant for treating Alzheimer's disease was studied using an in vitro acetylcholinesterase inhibition assay. It was found that the methanolic extract of the stem-bark was a potent inhibitor of the enzyme with an IC50 value of 1.23 +/- 0.05 microg/mL. An HPLC-based berberine quantification study revealed an astonishing 38% yield of the dried methanolic extract.