ABSTRACT
Alzheimer' s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease with insidious onset and complex etiology and pathogenesis. The main pathological changes are the damage of cholinergic neurons and the loss of synapses. Because of advantages of multi-pathway and multi-target intervention, traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) compound prescriptions have a significant effect in the prevention and treatment of AD. Buyang Huanwu Tang, which is the representative prescription for benefiting Qi and activating blood circulation, has been widely used in cerebrovascular diseases, with significant effects in protecting neurons, repairing blood-brain barrier, reducing permeability, resisting cerebral edema and vascular endothelial cell injury and promoting new angiogenesis and maturation. Due to its powerful therapeutic effect the brain, a large number of scholars have found that Buyang Huanwu Tang has a significant effect in improving cognitive impairment, and different components can improve the therapeutic effect of cognitive impairment through different mechanisms. However, different studies focus on a relatively single mechanism of action, which is not conducive to a comprehensive understanding of its mechanisms of action and intervention targets. This article summarizes relevant literatures in recent years for the effect of Buyang Huanwu Tang and its component in reducing beta amyloid precursor protein (APP) expression and beta amyloid protein deposition, inhibiting the central nervous system inflammatory signaling pathways in reducing inflammatory cytokines release factor expression protect neurons, repair, neuron apoptosis blood brain barrier, preventing harmful substances from the central nervous system, improving the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LRP)-1 content, lowering ages receptor (RAGE) beta amyloid protein expression, and increasing peripheral clearance of β amyloid protein, and elaborated the mechanisms in protecting neurons and alleviating learning and cognitive dysfunction, in order to provide strong literature support for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease with Buyang Huanwu Tang.