Abstract
To study the anti-oxidant properties of neem (Azadirachta indica) in inducing apoptosis of cervical cancer cells and estimation of caspase activity and TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma levels in monocytes of cervical cancer patients and controls.
Monocytes were cultured from blood samples of 65 study cases and 30 controls for the estimation of caspase 3, 8 and 9 with specific inhibitors and TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma levels in culture supernatant of monocytes. Two cervical biopsies were taken from 18 cases of moderately differentiated SCC. One biopsy was formalin fixed for histopathology and the other for tissue culture was kept in RPMI-1640 medium to evaluate the apoptotic effect of neem extract on malignant cells.
Neem-treated monocytes from cervical cancer patients showed high activity levels of caspase 3, 8, and 9. A decrease in TNF-alpha and an increase in IFN-gamma levels was seen in culture supernatant of monocytes. Cyto- and histomorphology of neem-treated cervical cancer cells exhibited increased apoptosis.
Neem is a potent inducer of apoptosis in biopsies of cervical cancer patients.