Anti-Aggregation Property of Allicin by In Vitro and Molecular Docking Studies

Amyloidogenesis is the process in which amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide aggregation results in plaque formation in central nervous system (CNS) are associated with many neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. The peptide aggregation initiated from peptide monomers results in formation of dimers, tetramers, fibrils, and protofibrils. The ability of allicin, a lipid-soluble volatile organosulfur biological compound, present in freshly crushed garlic (Allium sativum L.) to inhibit fibril formation by the Aβ peptide in vitro was investigated in the present study. Inhibition of fibrillogenesis was measured by a Thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence assay and visualized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The molecular interaction between allicin and Aβ peptide was also demonstrated by in silico studies. The results show that allicin strongly inhibited Aβ fibrils by 97% at 300 µM, compared with control (Aβ only) (P < .001). These results were further validated by visual of fibril formation by transmission microscopy and molecular interaction of amyloid peptide with allicin by molecular docking. Aβ forms favourable hydrophobic interaction with Ile32, Met35, Val36, and Val39, and oxygen of allicin forms hydrogen bond with the amino acid residue Lys28. Allicin anti-amyloidogenic property suggests that this naturally occurring compound may have potential to ameliorate and prevent Alzheimer’s disease.