Sadra Medical Journal

Antioxidant and Acetyl- and Butyryl Cholinesterase Inhibitory Activities of Safoof-e-Hefz: A Polyherbal Memory-Enhancer Formulation from Traditional Persian Medicine

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Mohammad Ali Farboodniay Jahromi 1
Donya Ezzati 1, 2
Fatemeh Farmani 1
Amirhossein Sakhteman 3
Mahmoudreza Moein 4
Hamidreza Adhami 5
Mohammad Mehdi Zarshenas 1, 2

1 Medicinal Plants Processing Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

2 Department of Phytopharmaceuticals (Traditional Pharmacy), School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

3 Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

4 Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

5 Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.30476/smsj.2025.107280.1644
Abstract
Introduction: Alzheimer’s disease, known as “Nesyan” in Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM), is characterized by progressive memory loss and cognitive decline. TPM proposes various treatments, including compound remedies such as Safoof-e-hefz. The cholinergic hypothesis posits that excessive acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity reduces brain acetylcholine levels, contributing to disease symptoms.
Methods: This study evaluated the antioxidant activity of six herbal constituents of Safoof-e-hefz using the DPPH radical scavenging assay. Methanol and dichloromethane extracts of each constituent, as well as the complete formulation, were assessed for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitory activities using Ellman’s method, with tacrine as the positive control.
Results: The findings identified Melissa officinalis (lemon balm) as the most effective constituent, exhibiting the highest antioxidant (IC50=64.1 µg/mL) and AChE inhibitory (89%) activities. The prepared formulation revealed an acceptable effect on AChE (up to 77%) and BChE, while showing no significant overall antioxidant activity. 
Conclusion: In all quantitative analyses, methanol extracts demonstrated superior overall activity to dichloromethane extracts. Additionally, none of the extracts displayed a dose-dependent effect, which could be attributed to their high tannin content, as tannins can chelate the enzyme and interfere with accurate inhibitory activity determination.

Keywords

Alzheimer’s disease
Antioxidants
Cholinesterase Inhibitors
Persian medicine
Nootropic Agents
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Sadra Medical Journal
Volume 14, Issue 1
Winter 2026
Pages 12-23

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