Reverse pharmacology, also called the "bedside to bench" approach, that deals with new uses for a well known molecular entity has been used extensively in cancer drug development to identify novel compounds and delineate their mechanisms of action. Here, we show that nimbolide, a triterpenoid isolated from Azadirachta indica,

Nimbolide, a plant-derived limonoid has been shown to exert its antiproliferative effects in various cell lines. We demonstrate that nimbolide effectively inhibited proliferation of WiDr colon cancer cells through inhibition of cyclin A leading to S phase arrest. It also caused activation of caspase-mediated apoptosis through the inhibition of ERK1/2 and activation of p38 and JNK1/2. Further nimbolide effectively retarded tumor cell migration and invasion through inhibition of metalloproteinase-2/9 (MMP-2/9) expression, both at the mRNA and protein level. It was also a strong inhibitor of VEGF expression, promoter activity, and in vitro angiogenesis. Finally, nimbolide suppressed the nuclear translocation of p65/p50 and DNA binding of NF-κB, which is an important transcription factor for controlling MMP-2/9 and VEGF gene expression.

Purpose Extensive research over the past decade has revealed that the proinflammatory microenvironment plays a critical role in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). Whether nimbolide, a limonoid triterpene, can inhibit the growth of CRC was investigated in the present study. Experimental Design The effect of nimbolide on proliferation of CRC cell lines was examined by MTT assay, apoptosis by caspase activation and poly-ADP ribose polymerase cleavage, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB) activation by DNA-binding assay, and protein expression by Western blotting. The effect of nimbolide on the tumor growth in vivo was examined in CRC xenografts in a nude mouse model. Results Nimbolide inhibited proliferation, induced apoptosis, and suppressed NF-κB activation and NF-κB–regulated tumorigenic proteins in CRC cells. The suppression of NF-κB activation by nimbolide was caused by sequential inhibition of IκB kinase (IKK) activation, IκBα phosphorylation, and p65 nuclear translocation. Furthermore, the effect of nimbolide on IKK activity was found to be direct. In vivo, nimbolide (at 5 and 20 mg/kg body weight), injected intraperitoneally after tumor inoculation, significantly decreased the volume of CRC xenografts. The limonoid-treated xenografts exhibited significant down-regulation in the expression of proteins involved in tumor cell survival (Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, c-IAP-1, survivin, Mcl-1), proliferation (c-Myc, cyclin D1), invasion (MMP-9, ICAM-1), metastasis (CXCR4), and angiogenesis (VEGF). The limonoid was found to be bioavailable in the blood plasma and tumor tissues of treated mice. Conclusions Our studies provide evidence that nimbolide can suppress the growth of human CRC through modulation of the proinflammatory microenvironment.