Phytochemical analyses and pharmacological screening of Neem oil

An Italian certified Neem seed oil was characterized through the color analysis, the HPLC phenolic fingerprint and the preliminary evaluation of the cytotoxicity profile against the human macrophage (THP-1) cell line. Moreover, a wide screening of its enzyme inhibitory profile, antimicrobial activity towards Helicobacter pylori, several Candida spp. and Malassezia furfur strains and antiprotozoal activity against Plasmodium falciparum, Leishmania infantum and Leishmania tropica were performed. Neem seed oil demonstrated low toxicity and a great inhibitory efficacy against tyrosinase and lipase enzymes. Antimalarial and anti-leishmanial activities were also demonstrated, but weak or no activity was evidenced against Helicobacter pylori, Candida and Malassezia strains. Overall, these findings encourage the potential use of this natural product in some disease treatments and justify its use in traditional medicine.