Donepezil
Donepezil is a centrally acting Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor used in the symptomatic treatment of cognitive impairment, especially in Alzheimer’s disease.
Donepezil is a centrally acting Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor used in the symptomatic treatment of cognitive impairment, especially in Alzheimer’s disease. By inhibiting Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), it increases synaptic acetylcholine availability in the brain, supporting cholinergic neurotransmission that is typically reduced in neurodegenerative disease. In biomedical research, donepezil is frequently used as a reference drug, positive control, or comparator in studies evaluating novel anti-Alzheimer’s agents.
Beyond its established therapeutic role, donepezil is commonly used in preclinical models of memory loss and neurodegeneration to benchmark compounds that target Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), Butyrylcholinesterase (BCHE), oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and related pathways involving Amyloid beta (Aβ), Microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT), NMDA receptor antagonist memantine, and inflammatory mediators such as Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and TNF. Its repeated use in experimental systems reflects its importance as a standard against which new neuroprotective or cognition-enhancing interventions are measured.
Where the papers sit
9 papers from the last 6 months study donepezil directly · updated from PubMed 10 Oct 2026
Study type 0 clinical trials · 2 observational · 2 human data · 5 preclinical
Themes one subject
Those 9 are all about one subject.
-
Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitor Research
Acetylcholinesterase inhibition remains a broad therapeutic focus spanning Alzheimer’s disease, cholinergic physiology, drug delivery and safety. Donepezil formulations increasingly target improved brain exposure, skin compatibility and multimodal effects on amyloid-β, mitophagy and inflammation. Comparative evidence emphasizes ventricular arrhythmia risk, while rare cutaneous toxicity and cough suppression expand safety considerations. New hybrids and analytical assays extend the field, but no single development direction dominates.
Papers
The 9 papers from the last 6 months that study donepezil directly, newest first, by theme and by study type. Study types come from PubMed publication types and MeSH headings.
By theme
Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitor Research (9)
- Engineering ApoE3-Targeted NIR-Responsive Liposomes for Multimodal Inhibition of Amyloid-β Aggregation and Acetylcholinesterase Activity. ACS chemical neuroscience · 19 Aug 2026 PMID 42615643
- Central cholinergic modulation of the cough reflex: suppressive effects of donepezil in rabbits. American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology · 31 Jul 2026 PMID 42537636
- Donepezil nanocrystals-incorporated carboxymethyl cellulose nanopaste for high-payload transdermal delivery with improved skin compatibility. International journal of biological macromolecules · 26 Jul 2026 PMID 42503382
- A Multitarget Nanosystem Loaded with Donepezil for Alzheimer's Disease Treatment by Activating Mitophagy and Reshaping the Inflammatory Microenvironment. ACS applied materials & interfaces · 13 Jul 2026 PMID 42441421
- Comparative risk of ventricular arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death among acetylcholinesterase inhibitors in dementia: A population-based cohort study. British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2 Jul 2026 PMID 42388101
- A Sustainable Spectrofluorimetric Quenching Approach for Determination of Pentoxifylline or Donepezil HCl via Complexation With Erythrosine B: Application to Tablets and Human Plasma. Luminescence : the journal of biological and chemical luminescence · 30 Jun 2026 PMID 42378690
- Solvent-free synthesis of quinazolinone-chalcone hybrids and their evaluation as dual inhibitors of AChE and BuChE for alzheimer's disease. Die Naturwissenschaften · 18 May 2026 PMID 42149153
- Rare Presentation of TEN-Like Subacute Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Occurring in the Setting of Donepezil Exposure and COVID-19 Infection: A Diagnostic Challenge. Journal of cutaneous pathology · 11 May 2026 PMID 42115135
- Multi-Target Neuroprotective Compound Exhibits EAAT2-Modulating and Alzheimer's Pathology-Attenuating Effects in In Vitro and In Vivo Models. ACS chemical neuroscience · 29 Apr 2026 PMID 42051019
By study type
Observational studies and case reports (2)
- Comparative risk of ventricular arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death among acetylcholinesterase inhibitors in dementia: A population-based cohort study. British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2 Jul 2026 PMID 42388101
- Rare Presentation of TEN-Like Subacute Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Occurring in the Setting of Donepezil Exposure and COVID-19 Infection: A Diagnostic Challenge. Journal of cutaneous pathology · 11 May 2026 PMID 42115135
Human data, design not indexed (2)
- A Sustainable Spectrofluorimetric Quenching Approach for Determination of Pentoxifylline or Donepezil HCl via Complexation With Erythrosine B: Application to Tablets and Human Plasma. Luminescence : the journal of biological and chemical luminescence · 30 Jun 2026 PMID 42378690
- Solvent-free synthesis of quinazolinone-chalcone hybrids and their evaluation as dual inhibitors of AChE and BuChE for alzheimer's disease. Die Naturwissenschaften · 18 May 2026 PMID 42149153
Preclinical: animal, cell and lab studies (5)
- Engineering ApoE3-Targeted NIR-Responsive Liposomes for Multimodal Inhibition of Amyloid-β Aggregation and Acetylcholinesterase Activity. ACS chemical neuroscience · 19 Aug 2026 PMID 42615643
- Central cholinergic modulation of the cough reflex: suppressive effects of donepezil in rabbits. American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology · 31 Jul 2026 PMID 42537636
- Donepezil nanocrystals-incorporated carboxymethyl cellulose nanopaste for high-payload transdermal delivery with improved skin compatibility. International journal of biological macromolecules · 26 Jul 2026 PMID 42503382
- A Multitarget Nanosystem Loaded with Donepezil for Alzheimer's Disease Treatment by Activating Mitophagy and Reshaping the Inflammatory Microenvironment. ACS applied materials & interfaces · 13 Jul 2026 PMID 42441421
- Multi-Target Neuroprotective Compound Exhibits EAAT2-Modulating and Alzheimer's Pathology-Attenuating Effects in In Vitro and In Vivo Models. ACS chemical neuroscience · 29 Apr 2026 PMID 42051019
Written from 9 PubMed abstracts, each one listed by PMID above. Published: 2026-07-02. Last written: 2026-08-21 by GPT. Drafted by language models from published abstracts; not medical advice.