A Mini-review on the Phytochemistry and Pharmacobiology of Azadirachta indica A. Juss. (Meliaceae): Towards future research directions

Abstract

Medicinal plants are suppliers of molecules used in both modern and traditional therapy. One of these plants is Azadirachta Indica (also known as the neem tree).Originally from Asia (India), this plant is currently widespread and cultivated in several countries in the world, including in Africa, because of its extraordinary therapeutic properties. A survey carried out on the Internet revealed that A. indica contains various secondary metabolites such as: Azadirone, Nimocimol, Azadiradione, Epoxyazadiradione, nimbinin, salannin, nimbanal, salannol acetate, nimbandiol, tannins, saponins, cardiac glycosides, steroids, gedunin, nimbinene, nimbolide, mahmoodin, margolonone, isomargolonone, azadirachtin, epicatechin, catechin, phenols, alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, triterpenoids, anthraquinone, anthocyanins. The main structures of these different molecules were drawn using the ChemBioDraw Ultra 12.0 software package. As a result, it has been demonstrated that these compounds confer several pharmacological properties on the neem tree, including anticancer, antifungal, antidiabetic, antibacterial, antiviral, antiplasmodial, and anthelmintic activities. Because of its high anthocyanin content, A. indica could be an interesting candidate for the development of an anti-sickle cell drug.