A study on antioxidant and apoptotic effect of Azadirachta Indica (neem) in cases of cervical cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To study the anti-oxidant properties of neem (Azadirachta indica) in inducing apoptosis of cervical cancer cells and estimation of caspase activity and TNF-α and IFN-γ levels in monocytes of cervical cancer patients and controls.


METHODS
Monocytes were cultured from blood samples of 65 study cases and 30 controls for the estimation of caspase 3, 8 and 9 with specific inhibitors and TNF-α and IFN-γ levels in culture supernatant of monocytes. Two cervical biopsies were taken from 18 cases of moderately differentiated SCC. One biopsy was formalin fixed for histopathology and the other for tissue culture was kept in RPMI-1640 medium to evaluate the apoptotic effect of neem extract on malignant cells.


RESULTS
Neem-treated monocytes from cervical cancer patients showed high activity levels of caspase 3, 8, and 9. A decrease in TNF-α and an increase in IFN-γ levels was seen in culture supernatant of monocytes. Cyto- and histomorphology of neem-treated cervical cancer cells exhibited increased apoptosis.


CONCLUSIONS
Neem is a potent inducer of apoptosis in biopsies of cervical cancer patients.
Department of Pathology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh 202002, Uttar Pradesh, India. shymv@rediffmail.com
Shaista M
SM
Vasenwala
Reema
R
Seth
Nazima
N
Haider
Najmul
N
Islam
Tamkin
T
Khan
Veena
V
Maheshwari
Suhail
S
Ur Rehman
D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D031601:Azadirachta; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D053181:Caspase 8 / Q000378:metabolism; D053453:Caspase 9 / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D009000:Monocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008517:Phytotherapy; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology
D028321:Plant Preparations; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D053148:Caspase 3; D053181:Caspase 8; D053453:Caspase 9