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Jul 22, 2025
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Jul 22, 2025
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Abstract

Neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) is a renowned tree in Asian and African countries, known for its extensive medicinal and industrial applications due to a rich array of bioactive compounds, particularly nutraceuticals and triterpenoids like azadirachtin, nimbin, and salannin. This review compiles recent research on the extraction, characterisation, and encapsulation of neem oil and its extracts into advanced delivery systems such as hydrogels, liposomes, and nanocapsules, alongside their biological evaluations and toxicity profiles. Various extraction methods, including hot (Soxhlet) and cold (maceration) solvent extraction, and hydro-distillation, have been employed to optimise yield, with methanol showing optimal results for oil extraction in some studies (7.68 ± 0.11% by weight). Characterisation techniques like FTIR, H-NMR, and LCMS have confirmed the presence of diverse functional groups and specific compounds. To overcome challenges such as photosensitivity and rapid degradation, and to enhance targeted delivery and efficacy, neem extracts have been successfully incorporated into hydrogels, liposomes, and polymeric nanocapsules. Liposomal formulations prepared with soya lecithin and cholesterol (4:1 ratio) showed 69.52 ± 1.9% entrapment efficiency and sustained drug diffusion (62.178% ± 0.91 over 24 hours), proving stable for three months at 2–8°C. This comprehensive review underscores neem's potential as a source of valuable bioactive compounds and the critical role of nanotechnology in developing efficient and safer delivery systems for its application in food, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and cosmetics. [2,5,7]      

Keywords

Neem leaves Seed Materials Extraction methods Characterisation techniques Formulation development and development

Article Details

How to Cite
S. Kannan, D. Divya, A. Gokulakrishnan, V. Gokul kumar, S. Gowsika Shree, D. Indirani, & S. Kalaiarasi. (2025). A Review of Neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) Extracts and Formulations: Extraction, Characterisation, Encapsulation, and Toxicity Evaluation. International Journal of Research in Pharmacology & Pharmacotherapeutics, 14(3), 382-389. Retrieved from https://ijrpp.com/ijrpp/article/view/710
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