Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, such as donepezil, galanthamine,
and rivastigmine, increase the ACh concentration in the
synaptic cleft, but with limited success and efficiency in the current
clinical therapy for AD [5e7].
Similarly, some symptoms of AD are due to alterations in the
dopaminergic, serotoninergic and monoaminergic neurotransmitter
systems [8e10]. In particular, monoamine oxidases (MAO) A
and B are the enzymes that catalyze the oxidative deamination of
biogenic amines [11], rendering the corresponding aldehyde,
ammonia and hydrogen peroxide as metabolic products. Thus,MAO
inhibitors (MAOI) might increase amine neurotransmission and
reduce reactive oxygen species affording potential valuable effect