Investigating the Pharmacognostic and Pharmacological Activities of Azadirachta indica L. through Biochemical Assays

Background: Azadirachta indica L., commonly known as ‘neem’ is a member of the Mahagony family, widely available in Indian sub-continents. Neem tree is popularly known for its vast therapeutic properties such as antimicrobial, antiparasitic, antidiabetic, insecticides and pesticides. The plant leaves are commonly used in several Ayurvedic formulations such as ‘kwath’ and ‘churna.’ Due to its high therapeutic value, it is important to standardize and document the quality parameters of the plant leaves. The A. indica leaves were collected, shade dried and pharmacognostic parameters were performed using techniques such as microscopy, physicochemical tests, viz., extractive values, total ash, acid insoluble ash. Apart from this, pharmacological assays for antioxidant, antidiabetic and antimicrobial activities were performed. Based on the assays and preliminary phytochemical analysis, best extract was selected for further compound(s) detection by HPLC and HPTLC. Results: Neem methanolic extract was found to possess various phytochemicals compared to hexane extract, the methanolic extract of neem leaves also exhibited excellent antioxidant and antidiabetic activity along with good antimicrobial against gram-positive bacteria and fungi. Through HPLC and HPTLC analysis, presence of rutin hydrate, ellagic acid, and quercetin was observed in the neem leaf methanolic extract. The pharmacognostic tests values were found similar to that of stated in IP-2022. Conclusion: This is one of the first kind of research to provide a comprehensive pharmacognostic profile of leaves of A. indica L. as well as its pharmacological evaluation along with compounds detection by high throughput analysis.