Guar Gum Derived Nanotherapy for Oral Delivery of Neem Leaf Protein against Colon Cancer

Abstract

Azadirachta indica, also known as Neem is a tree in the mahogany family which is actively gaining interest in the era of modern day medicine due to its extensive applications in homeopathic medicine such as Ayurveda and Unani. This nature’s drug store has long been investigated for its therapeutic properties, as all its parts have exhibited immense therapeutic efficacy in preventing various chronic diseases including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative disorders and diabetes. More than 140 phytochemicals have been extracted from neem leaves, seed, bark and flowers for agro-medicinal applications. Among the various components, neem leaf protein (NLP) is currently the most investigated active ingredient, due to its immunomodulatory activities against tumour growth. However, these therapeutic ingredients of neem are susceptible to degradation and cannot withstand the drastic pH changes under physiological environment and therefore, there is an urgent need of an alternative application based strategy such as a nano-delivery system to exploit its medicinal benefits. This study hypothesises that guar gum (GG) derived biodegradable nano-carrier based encapsulation of NLP will improve its stability, specificity and sensitivity, thus facilitating targeted anti-cancer therapeutics.