Leila Maleki
1, Tahereh Sadeghian-Rizi
2* 
, Mostafa Ghannadian
3, Mohammad Hossein Sanati
4, Shahin Shafizadegan
5, Hojjat Sadeghi-Aliabadi
6*1 M.Sc. of Biotechnology, Department of Microbial Biotechnology, School of Biology Sciences, Nour Danesh Institute of Higher Education, Meymeh, Isfahan, Iran
2 Ph.D. Candidate in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
3 Ph.D., Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
4 Ph.D., Department of Medical Genetics, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Tehran, Iran
5 B.SC of Biology, Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
6 Ph.D., Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
*Corresponding Authors: Corresponding author: Tahereh Sadeghian-Rizi, Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. Tel: +98-9132366325, Email:
t_sadeghian@pharm.mui.ac.ir; Corresponding author: Hojjat Sadeghi-Aliabadi, Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. Tel: +98-3137922564, Email:
sadeghi@pharm.mui.ac.ir
Abstract
Background: Azadirachta indica A. Juss (Neem) has been used against a few diseases in traditional medicine. This study was conducted
to evaluate the antibacterial activity of Neem leaves extract against some antibiotic sensitive and resistant strains of important
human pathogenic bacteria.
Methods: The antimicrobial activities of ethanol, methanol, and ethyl acetate extracts of Azadirachta indica A. juss leaves were evaluated
against some pathogenic bacterial strains including S. aureus ATCC 6538, E. faecalis ATCC 1394, P. aeroginosa ATCC 9027, E.coli,
ATCC 25922, and their clinical isolates using agar well diffusion and MTT microdilution methods. MBC was determined by subculturing
from microdilution assays.
Results: The results revealed that methanol extract has the strongest growth inhibitory effect on both standard and clinical isolated
strains of P. aeroginosa. Ethyl acetate and ethanol extracts, showing a growth inhibitory effect on both standard and hospital isolated
strains of S. aureus. In the case of E. faecalis, ethanol and methanol extracts showed the highest growth inhibitory effect against standard
and clinical strains, respectively. According to the MIC index results, the methanol extract has a bactericidal activity against
both standard and nosocomial strains of S. aureus and P. aeroginosa and bacteriostatic activity against nosocomial strain of E. faecalis.
Ethanol extract showed bactericidal activity against both standard and nosocomial strains of E. faecalis and P. aeroginosa and
bacteriostatic activity against nosocomial strain of S. aureus. Ethyl acetate extract had shown bactericidal activity against standard
strains of S. aureus and P. aeroginosa and bacteriostatic against nosocomial strain of S. aureus and standard strain of E. faecalis.
Conclusions: Results revealed that Neem may be a prospective therapeutic agent to combat antibiotic resistant bacteria.