Abstract
Neem (Azadirachta indica) is a member of the Meliaceae family and its role as health-promoting effect is attributed because it is rich source of antioxidant. It has been widely used in Chinese, Ayurvedic, and Unani medicines worldwide especially in Indian Subcontinent in the treatment and prevention of various diseases. Earlier finding confirmed that neem and its constituents play role in the scavenging of free radical generation and prevention of disease pathogenesis. The studies based on animal model established that neem and its chief constituents play pivotal role in anticancer management through the modulation of various molecular pathways including p53, pTEN, NF-κB, PI3K/Akt, Bcl-2, and VEGF. It is considered as safe medicinal plants and modulates the numerous biological processes without any adverse effect. In this review, I summarize the role of Azadirachta indica in the prevention and treatment of diseases via the regulation of various biological and physiological pathways.
Highlights
The plant product or natural products show an important role in diseases prevention and treatment through the enhancement of antioxidant activity, inhibition of bacterial growth, and modulation of genetic pathways
A study was made to assess the chemopreventive potential of the limonoids, azadirachtin, and nimbolide and results showed that azadirachtin and nimbolide inhibited the development of DMBA-induced HBP carcinomas through influencing multiple mechanisms such as prevention of procarcinogen activation and oxidative DNA damage, upregulation of antioxidant and carcinogen detoxification enzymes, and inhibition of tumour invasion and angiogenesis [25]
An important study was performed to investigate the efficacy of bioactive phytochemicals in inhibiting radiotherapy- (RT) induced NF-κB activity, signaling, and NF-κB-dependent regulation of cell death and results showed that curcumin, leaf extract, and black raspberry extract (RSE) significantly inhibited both constitutive and RT-induced NF-κB [53] and other important study results demonstrate that nimbolide, a neem derived tetranortriterpenoid, concurrently abrogates canonical NF-κB and Wnt signaling and induces intrinsic apoptosis in human hepatocarcinoma (HepG2) cells [54]
Summary
The plant product or natural products show an important role in diseases prevention and treatment through the enhancement of antioxidant activity, inhibition of bacterial growth, and modulation of genetic pathways. It is a largely accepted fact that numerous pharmacologically active drugs are derived from natural resources including medicinal plants [1, 2]. Various religious documents such as Bible and Quran supported the herbs role in health care and prevention. Azadirachta indica has complex of various constituents including nimbin, nimbidin, nimbolide, and limonoids and such types of ingredients play role in diseases management through modulation of various genetic pathways and other activities. This review summarizes the role of neem and its active ingredients in the diseases prevention and treatment through the modulation of various biological pathways
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