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Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of dementia worldwide and is characterised by progressive cognitive decline. Kai-xin-san is a classical Chinese herbal formula with a long history of use for memory and cognitive complaints. Despite growing laboratory interest, no comprehensive synthesis of its preclinical evidence had previously been undertaken.
Researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis, searching seven databases up to October 2025 and pooling data from 44 animal studies involving nearly 2,700 animals. They examined performance across three standard behavioural tests — the Morris water maze, novel object recognition, and Y-maze — as well as nine biological markers related to the key pathological features of Alzheimer’s disease.
Across all behavioural measures, animals treated with Kai-xin-san performed significantly better than controls, suggesting improved spatial learning and memory. At the biological level, Kai-xin-san was associated with reductions in amyloid-beta and tau proteins, lower levels of inflammatory markers (tumour necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-6), decreased oxidative stress (lower malondialdehyde), and improved cholinergic function (reduced acetylcholinesterase, increased acetylcholine and superoxide dismutase). These findings point to several potential mechanisms working in parallel. However, the authors noted a high risk of bias across the included studies, meaning the true benefit may be more modest than the pooled results suggest, and clinical translation remains premature without higher-quality preclinical work.
Conclusion: Kai-xin-san demonstrates multi-targeted benefits in Alzheimer’s disease animal models, but methodological weaknesses in existing studies mean these results should be interpreted cautiously until more rigorous preclinical evidence is available.
Source: Wang Y, Wang Q, Xie H and colleagues. Frontiers in pharmacology (2026). View on PubMed (PMID 42110549) · doi:10.1002/bmc.70047
