Abstract

LIMONOID ‘AZADIRACHTIN’ FROM AZADIRACHTA INDICA

Pasupuleti Sreenivasa Rao* and Ramalinga Viswa Kumar

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Abstract

Majority of world population nearly 80 percent, in all most all nations depends on traditional medicine for their primary health care. In various phytotherapy based medical systems, native medicinal plant/herbal extracts are employed to treat various disorders and diseases. The usage of medicinal plant/herbal extracts is rapidly evolving due to their useful effects and moreover presumed with less toxic side effects. Azadirachta indica (Neem) is a key medicinal plant with high medicinal properties. It belongs to a family of Meliaceae, which is majorly cosmopolitan in distribution. For centuries, its usage in India, is very common in ethno traditional medicine and as well as other medical practices. The vegetative parts such as leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds and bark are rich source for major bio-active molecules. Hence it is referred as natural drug store or store house of phytochemicals. Its structural and chemical composition is complex in nature. Several bioactive molecules are separated, characterized, and stated with significant biological properties. However, in the present study, we assessed the distribution pattern of Triterpenes like Azadirachtin in the vegetative parts of Azadirachta indica (Neem) extracts through LC– MS (Liquid Chromatography and Mass Spectroscopy) spectral analysis. The results reveal the presence of major Triterpeniods like Azadirachtin (C35H44O16) for the first time from the vegetative parts of Azadirachta indica collected from Tirumala Hills, Eastern Ghats, India.

Keywords: Flavonoids, Azadirachtin, Azadirachta indica, Natural products, LC –MS.