title: Cytotoxic evaluation of Melia azedarach in comparison with, Azadirachta indica and its phytochemical investigation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Melia azedarach L. is an important medicinal plant that is used for variety of ailments in Iranian traditional medicine. Azadirachta indica A. Juss is its allied species and possesses similar properties and effects. The present study was undertaken to investigate anticancer activity of these M. azedarach in comparison with A. indica on cancer cell lines and also to evaluate their safety in humans by testing them on normal cell line. The study also aimed to determine the active components that are responsible for medicinal effects of M. azedarach in traditional usages.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, the cytotoxic activity of crude extracts from M. azedarach and A. indica leaves, pulps and seeds as well as three main fractions of their leaf extracts were assayed against HT-29, A-549, MCF-7 and HepG-2 and MDBK cell lines. MTT assay was used to evaluate their cytotoxic activities. Methanol leaf fraction of M. azedarach as the safest leaf fraction in terms of cytotoxicity was subjected for phytochemical study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results of the present study indicated that seed kernel extract of M. azedarach had the highest cytotoxic activity and selectivity to cancer cell lines (IC50 range of 8.18- 60.10 Î¼g mL-1). In contrast to crude seed extract of A. indica, crude pulp and crude leaf extracts of this plant showed remarkably stronger anti-prolifrative activity (IC50 ranges of 83.45 - 212.16 Î¼g mL-1 and 34.11- 95.51 Î¼g mL-1 respectively) than those of M. azedarach (all IC50 values of both plants > 650 Î¼g mL-1). The phytochemical analysis led to the isolation of four flavonol 3-O-glycosides including rutin, kaempferol-3-O-robinobioside, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside and isoquercetin along with a purin nucleoside, Î²-adenosine.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The anti-prolifrative potentials of extracts from different parts of M. azedarach and A. indica were determined. By comparison, methanol leaf fraction of M. azedarach seems to be safer in terms of cytotoxicity. Our study shows that flavonols are abundant in the leaves of M. azedarach and these compounds seem to be responsible for many of medicinal effects exploited in the traditional uses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. khanavim@tums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Samineh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jafari
authors.forename: Soodabeh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saeidnia
authors.forename: Homa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hajimehdipoor
authors.forename: Mohammad Reza Shams
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Ardekani
authors.forename: Mohammad Ali
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Faramarzi
authors.forename: Abbas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hadjiakhoondi
authors.forename: Mahnaz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khanavi