Can We Use Ginkgo biloba Extract to Treat Alzheimer's Disease? Lessons from Preclinical and Clinical Studies

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#alzheimer-disease #animals #cognition #ginkgo-biloba #humans

Can We Use Ginkgo biloba Extract to Treat Alzheimer's Disease? Lessons from Preclinical and Clinical Studies

Xie et al., 2022 | Cells | Meta Analysis

Citation

Xie Liming, Zhu Qi, Lu Jiahong. Can We Use Ginkgo biloba Extract to Treat Alzheimer's Disease? Lessons from Preclinical and Clinical Studies. Cells. 2022-Jan-29;11(3). doi:10.3390/cells11030479

Abstract

(1) Background: Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) has been widely used to treat central nervous system and cardiovascular diseases. Accumulating evidence has revealed the therapeutic potential of GBE against Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, no systematic evaluation has been performed; (2) Methods: a total of 17 preclinical studies and 20 clinical trials assessing the therapeutic effects of GBE against AD were identified from electronic databases. The data in the reports were extracted to conduct a meta-analysis of the AD-related pathological features or symptoms; (3) Results: For the preclinical reports, 45 animals treated with GBE, in six studies, were subjected to cognitive function assessments by the Morris water maze. GBE was shown to reduce the escape latencies in several studies, in both rats and mice (I2 > 70%, p < 0.005). For the clinical trials, eight trials, including 2100 individuals, were conducted. The results show that GBE improved the SKT and ADAS-Cog scores in early-stage AD patients after high doses and long-term administration; (4) Conclusions: GBE displayed generally consistent anti-AD effects in animal experiments, and it might improve AD symptoms in early-stage AD patients after high doses and long-term administration. A lack of sample size calculations and the poor quality of the methods are two obvious limitations of the studies. Nevertheless, the preclinical and clinical data suggest that further large-scale clinical trials may be needed in order to examine the effects of long-term GEB administration on early-stage AD.

Key Findings

For the preclinical reports, 45 animals treated with GBE, in six studies, were subjected to cognitive function assessments by the Morris water maze. GBE was shown to reduce the escape latencies in several studies, in both rats and mice (I2 > 70%, p < 0.005). For the clinical trials, eight trials, including 2100 individuals, were conducted. The results show that GBE improved the SKT and ADAS-Cog scores in early-stage AD patients after high doses and long-term administration; (4) Conclusions: GBE

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size 2100
Age Range See abstract
Condition cognitive

MeSH Terms

  • Alzheimer Disease
  • Animals
  • Cognition
  • Ginkgo biloba
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Plant Extracts
  • Rats
  • Ginkgo Extract

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Meta Analysis
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Review
  • Vertical: ginkgo-cognition

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09