Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most commom degenerative neurological disease which is characterized by distubs in memory and cognitive function [1,2]. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, there was a drastic increase in deaths from AD during the COVID-19 pandemic period [3]. Amaryllidaceae species are an important source for therapeutic agent in AD, since they content alkaloids with promising biological activity, such as anti-acetylcholinesterase (anti-AChE) [4,5]. Therefore, this study aims to carry out a literature review of plants belonging to Amaryllidaceae family with anti-neurodegenerative activity, like AChE inhibitory. Papers were accessed from SciFinder®, ScienceDirect, and others research platforms through Portal de Periódicos CAPES website. Seventeen articles were selected from January 2017 to April 2021 with the highlights “Amaryllidaceae alkaloids”, “acetylcholinesterase” and “Alzheimer’s disease”. The research revealed twelve Amaryllidaceae genus (Figure 1), being Crinum and Phaedranassa the most investigated (37% and 20% respectively). Alkaloidal extracts and more then forty alkaloids, isolated or identified by gas chromatography, were tested in vitro and/or in silico for activities as AChE, BuChE inhibition and neuroprotection assays. Nevertheless, the Amaryllidaceae species proved to contain important anti-neurodegenerative actions.
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