Abstract
Nimbolide, a limonoid present in leaves of the neem tree (Azadirachta indica), is an anticancer compound against a panel of human cancer cell lines. The rapid process of extraction and purification of the nimbolide from the leaves of neem tree through microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) coupled with a chromatographic technique was accomplished. The crude with a maximum content of nimbolide could be recovered from neem leaves through MAE. By using three-factors, three-level Box–Behnken design of response surface methodology (RSM), the optimal conditions for nimbolide extraction (R2 = 0.9019) were solid/liquid ratio 1:16 g/mL, microwave power 280 W, and extraction time 22 min. The enriched extract was further purified by a preparative thin-layer chromatography (PTLC), where nimbolide was obtained as 0.0336 g (0.67% yield, purity over 98%) with ethyl acetate/hexane = 4:6 in 3.0 h. Structural elucidation was performed through spectroscopic techniques, including FT-IR, 1H, and 13C-NMR. This method was simple and had a good potential for the purification of bioactive compounds from a natural product.
Highlights
IntroductionThe neem tree, an extraordinary plant, is reported to be a tree that can solve global problems, by the US
The method revealed a good linearity in the range of nimbolide concentration (0.25 to 200 μg/mL)
The results indicated that the highest nimbolide content was obtained at the solid/liquid ratio 1:30 g/mL (4211.17 ± 177.11 μg/g dry weight)
Summary
The neem tree, an extraordinary plant, is reported to be a tree that can solve global problems, by the US. Almost all parts of the plant, including leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, and bark are extensively used in traditional medicine for treating various human diseases [3,4]. Neem is one of the richest sources of biologically active secondary metabolites, tetranortriterpenoids or limonoids, such as azadirachtin, nimbolide, nimbin, salannin, nimbidin, and gedunin [5,6]. Nimbolide, as shown, is the major active constituent present in the leaves of Azadirachta indica [7]. The nimbolide was reported to be an “anticancer compound” as it showed promising anticancer activities against a variety of human cancer types, including breast cancer, cervical cancer, choriocarcinoma, colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, and prostate cancer [8,9]. The compound shows therapeutic properties like antimalarial activity [3], antibacterial activity [10], antifeedant [11], and antioxidant [12]
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