Melanogenesis Inhibitory, Anti-Inflammatory, and Chemopreventive Effects of Limonoids from the Seeds of Azadirachta indicia A. Juss. (Neem)

Novel Anti-inflammatory Activity of Epoxyazadiradione against Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor

“…MIF, a pleiotropic proinflammatory cytokine, has been implicated to play a causative role in many disease states, and the inhibition of MIF activity by either a small molecule inhibitor or neutralization with anti-MIF antibody significantly improves survival and reduces disease progression and/or severity. To search for a novel anti-inflammatory molecule against proinflammatory MIF, six limonoids were extracted and purified from neem because neem extract is known to possess an anti-inflammatory property (33)(34)(35)(36)(37)). These compounds were tested first for their ability to inhibit the tautomerase activity of MIFs and finally evaluated for their effect on MIFinduced inflammation and cytokine production.…”

“…Neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) is a well known versatile medicinal plant that has a wide spectrum of biological activities including anti-inflammatory activity (33)(34)(35)(36)(37). The ethnopharmacological exploration and bioactivity testing of various neem compounds and extracts revealed its efficacy to prevent a wide variety of inflammatory disorders in infectious and non-infectious diseases (34, [37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45]. It is interesting to note that neem compounds show a beneficial effect in pathological conditions in which MIF-mediated pathologies are prevalent (6,10,11,14,16,17,21).…”

“…Traditional herbal remedies have been used for centuries to alleviate inflammatory ailments of many kinds of diseases (32). Neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) is a well known versatile medicinal plant that has a wide spectrum of biological activities including anti-inflammatory activity (33)(34)(35)(36)(37). The ethnopharmacological exploration and bioactivity testing of various neem compounds and extracts revealed its efficacy to prevent a wide variety of inflammatory disorders in infectious and non-infectious diseases (34, [37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45].…”

Revisiting Amazonian Plants for Skin Care and Disease

“…In addition, the abundant lipid fractions of A. speciosa, C. guianensis, and O. bataua, have peculiar compositions, especially in the non-saponifiable fraction, that could provide interesting bioactive molecules. A few pieces of literature have highlighted the importance of these compounds for the development of skin care applications, providing examples for phytosterols [81], limonoids [82], astilbin, and engeletin [83,84]. However, such a complex of knowledge is the tip of an iceberg of hitherto undiscovered bioactivities and constituents in the phytocomplexes of these plant species.…”

Cytotoxic and Apoptosis-Inducing Activities of 12-<i>O</i>-Acetylazedarachin B from the Fruits of <i>Melia azedarach</i> in Human Cancer Cell Lines

“…[4][5][6][7][8] Several of the limonoids isolated from M. azedarach have been reported to possess cytotoxic, 9) antifeeding, 10) and insecticidal activities. 11) In the course of a search for potential bioactive compounds from Meliaceae plants, we have undertaken a detailed investigation on the limonoid constituents of Azadirachta indica (néem) seed extracts and have shown that some limonoids exhibit potent inhibitory activities against melanogenesis in B16 melanoma cells, against 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced inflammation in mice, and against TPA-induced Epstein-Barr virus early antigen (EBV-EA) activation, 12,13) as well as cytotoxic and apoptosisinducing activities. 14) In a continuing study on the limonoid constituents of Meliaceae plants, we have investigated the fruit extract of M. azedarach, and have isolated a trichilintype limonoid, 12-O-acetylazedarachin B (1), which exhibited about 100-times higher cytotoxic activities against leukemia (HL-60) and stomach (AZ521) cancer cell lines than those of a positive control, cisplatin.…”