title: The effects of phytochemical pesticides on the growth of cultured invertebrate and vertebrate cells.
abstract: A range of cultured cells of invertebrate and vertebrate origin was grown in the presence of a number of phytochemical pesticides to test the effect of the latter on cell proliferation. The main observation was that azadirachtin was a potent inhibitor of insect cell replication, with an EC50 of 1.5 x 10(10) M against Spodoptera cells and of 6.3 x 10(9) M against Aedes albopictus cells, whilst affecting mammalian cells only at high concentrations (> 10(-4) M). As expected, the other phytochemical pesticides, except for rotenone, had little effect on the growth of the cultured cells. Rotenone was highly effective in inhibiting the growth of insect cells (EC50:10(-8) M) but slightly less toxic towards mammalian cells (EC50:2 x 10(-7) M). Neem terpenoids other than azadirachtin and those very similar in structure significantly inhibited growth of the cell cultures, but to a lesser degree. The major neem seed terpenoids, nimbin and salannin, for example, inhibited insect cell growth by 23% and 15%, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: Areaf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salehzadeh
authors.forename: Abdul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jabbar
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jennens
authors.forename: Steven V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Ley
authors.forename: Ramasamy S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Annadurai
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: Robin H C
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Strang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D011723:Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D004224:Diterpenes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D007313:Insecta / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D007306:Insecticides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D000077222:Limonene; D036701:Limonins; D015394:Molecular Structure; D012402:Rotenone / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D013729:Terpenes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D014315:Triterpenes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D004224:Diterpenes; D007306:Insecticides; D036701:Limonins; D013729:Terpenes; D014315:Triterpenes; D012402:Rotenone; C105836:salannin; D000077222:Limonene; C008621:nimbin; C010329:azadirachtin