Nimbolide, a Neem Limonoid, Is a Promising Candidate for the Anticancer Drug Arsenal

J Med Chem. 2021 Apr 8;64(7):3560-3577. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c02239. Epub 2021 Mar 19.

Abstract

Nimbolide, a major limonoid constituent of Azadirachta indica, commonly known as neem, has attracted increasing research attention owing to its wide spectrum of pharmacological properties, predominantly anticancer activity. Nimbolide is reported to exert potent antiproliferative effects on a myriad cancer cell lines and chemotherapeutic efficacy in preclinical animal tumor models. The potentiality of nimbolide to circumvent multidrug resistance and aid in targeted protein degradation broaden its utility in enhancing therapeutic modalities and outcome. Accumulating evidence indicates that nimbolide prevents the acquisition of cancer hallmarks such as sustained proliferation, apoptosis evasion, invasion, angiogenesis, metastasis, and inflammation by modulating kinase-driven oncogenic signaling networks. Nimbolide has been demonstrated to abrogate aberrant activation of cellular signaling by influencing the subcellular localization of transcription factors and phosphorylation of kinases in addition to influencing the epigenome. Nimbolide, with its ever-expanding repertoire of molecular targets, is a valuable addition to the anticancer drug arsenal.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacokinetics
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Humans
  • Limonins / pharmacokinetics
  • Limonins / pharmacology
  • Limonins / therapeutic use*
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Limonins
  • nimbolide