118 Document heading doi:10.12980/JCLM.1.2013C548 襃 2013 by the Journal of Coastal Life Medicine. All rights reserved. Assessment of bioactivities of ethanolic extract of Melia azedarach (Meliaceae) leaves Md. Asadujjaman 1* , Abu Saed 1 , Md. Aslam Hossain 1 , Utpal Kumar Karmakar 2 1 Pharmacy Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna-9208, Bangladesh 2 Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba- 260-8675, Chiba University, Japan Journal of Coastal Life Medicine 2013; 1(2): 118-122 Journal of Coastal Life Medicine journal homepage: www.jclmm.com *Corresponding author: Md. Asadujjaman, Bachelor of Pharmacy, Pharmacy Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna-9208, Bangladesh. Tel: +88017 1274 0820 E-mail: asadjaman@outlook.com Foundation Project: the authorities of Pharmacy Discipline, Life Science School, Khulna University for supporting fund (Grant No. KU: PHRM: 2011/April-071112). 1. Introduction Melia azedarach L. ( M. azedarach) belongs to the family Meliaceae, also placed in Celtidaceae, Ulmaceae and it is a small tree. There are about 50 shrubs or trees in the genus Melia, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, of which most of them are traditionally used in different therapeutic purposes. M. azedarach L. is a around 45-meter-tall deciduous tree. During young age, bark is smooth, greenish-brown and with age turning grey and fissured. Leaves, being bipinnate or occasionally tripinnate, are 20-40 m long. Fruits are small, 15 mm in diameter and smooth. A tree of the subtropical climatic zone, the natural habitat of M. azedarach L. is seasonal forest, including bamboo thickets, Tamarindus woodland. It can tolerate an ambit sort of conditions. It is native to Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Sri-Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam. In the earlier studies, ethanolic extract of M. azedarach L . showed activity against fever, nausea, vomiting, thirst and skin diseases [1,2] . It has showed antioxidant activity [3] . M. azedarach L . has also demonstrated analgesic activity [4] . Leaves and fruits showed antifeedant activity [5,6] . The plant has also showed antibacterial, antifungal, antimalarial, and cytotoxic activities [7-10] . In this study, an endeavor was made to defend the conventional uses as per scientific research. Furthermore, PEER REVIEW ABSTRACT KEYWORDS Melia azedarach L., Meliaceae, Antioxidant, Analgesic, Antibacterial, Phytochemical, DPPH, Acetic acid, Disk diffusion, Flavonoid Objective: To assess ethanolic extract of the leaves of Melia azedarach L. (Family-Meliaceae) for its possible antioxidant, analgesic and antibacterial activities in association with performing phytochemical evaluation. Methods: A number of phytochemical tests of this extract were utilized to distinguish the existence of different sorts of compounds. Qualitative and quantitative antioxidant activities were assessed by TLC and DPPH scavenging assay respectively. Acetic acid induced writhing test in mice and disk diffusion assay of the leaves extract were carried out to demonstrate the analgesic and antibacterial activities respectively. Results: The phytochemical assessment revealed the existence of alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, saponins and tannins like compounds. Ethanolic extract of the leaves demonstrated antioxidant, analgesic and antibacterial activities in vitro. Conclusion: Considering the study, this could justify the leaves extract’s bioactivities but, to substantiate the activity of individual compound further investigation is necessary. Peer reviewer Dr. Abdul Zabbar, Emeritus Professor of P harmaceutical C hemistry, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Tel: +88019 1592 6014 E-mail: zabbar.dupharm@gmail.com Comments The authors make the study interesting by evaluating the antioxidative, analgesic and antibacterial effects of M. azedarach extract in association with doing phytochemical screening. Materials and methods are well planned. Findings are attention- grabbing and the discussion section contains scientifical interpretation. Details on Page 121 Article history: Received 2 Jun 2013 Received in revised form 14 Jun, 2nd revised form 25 Jun, 3rd revised form 8 Jul 2013 Accepted 20 Aug 2013 Available online 28 Sep 2013