Synthesising a novel derivatives of piperine from black pepper (Piper nigrum L.)

In-silico, in-vitro and ex-vivo evidence of combining silymarin phytopharmaceutical with piperine, and fulvic acid for enhancing its solubility and permeability

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Even if with such a high mortality there is no definite treatment approved. Thus, there is a need to develop a formulation which can have multiple pharmacological activities. Herbal drugs are among the most promising compounds that act by different pharmacological actions. For increasing the bio-activity of Silymarin we had isolated five active biomarker molecules from silymarin extract (as a Phytopharmaceutical) in our previous work. It possesses lower bioavailability due to poor solubility, lesser permeability and first pass metabolism effect. Therefore, from the literature we had screened two bioavailability enhancers i.e. piperine and fulvic acid for overcoming the drawbacks associated with silymarin. Hence, in this study we had first explored the ADME-T parameters and then evaluated their in-silico activity for different enzymes involved in inflammation and fibrosis. Interestingly, it was found that besides the bioavailability enhancing property, piperine and fulvic acid also shown anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic action, particularly more activity was demonstrated by fulvic acid than piperine. Furthermore, the concentration of the bioavailability enhancers i.e. 20% FA and 10% PIP were optimized by QbD assisted solubility studies. Moreover, the percentage release and apparent permeability coefficient of the optimized formulation was found to be 95% and 90%, respectively as compared to 6.54*106 and 1.63*106 respectively by SM suspension alone. Furthermore, it was found that plain rhodamine solution penetrated only up to 10 um whereas, formulation penetrated up to 30 um. Thus, combining these three, can not only increase the bioavailability of silymarin, but might also, increase the physiological action synergistically.

Extraction, Characterization, and Evaluation of the Cytotoxic Activity of Piperine in Its Isolated form and in Combination with Chemotherapeutics against Gastric Cancer

Gastric cancer is one of the most frequent types of neoplasms worldwide, usually presenting as aggressive and difficult-to-manage tumors. The search for new structures with anticancer potential encompasses a vast research field in which natural products arise as promising alternatives. In this scenario, piperine, an alkaloid of the Piper species, has received attention due to its biological activity, including anticancer attributes. The present work proposes three heating-independent, reliable, low-cost, and selective methods for obtaining piperine from Piper nigrum L. (Black pepper). Electronic (SEM) and optical microscopies, X-ray diffraction, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies (¹³C and ¹H NMR), and optical spectroscopies (UV-Vis, photoluminescence, and FTIR) confirm the obtention of piperine crystals. The MTT assay reveals that the piperine samples exhibit good cytotoxic activity against primary and metastasis models of gastric cancer cell lines from the Brazilian Amazon. The samples showed selective cytotoxicity on the evaluated models, revealing higher effectiveness in cells bearing a higher degree of aggressiveness. Moreover, the investigated piperine crystals demonstrated the ability to act as a good cytotoxicity enhancer when combined with traditional chemotherapeutics (5-FU and GEM), allowing the drugs to achieve the same cytotoxic effect in cells employing lower concentrations. These results establish piperine as a promising molecule for therapy investigations in aggressive gastric cancer, both in its isolated form or as a bioenhancer.

Piperine-Loaded In Situ Gel: Formulation, In Vitro Characterization, and Clinical Evaluation against Periodontitis

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disorder associated with dysbiosis and characterized by microbiologically related, host-mediated inflammation that leads to the damage of periodontal tissues including gingiva, connective tissues, and alveolar bone. The aim of this study was to develop an in situ gel consisting of piperine. Eight in situ gel formulations were designed by varying the concentration of deacylated gellan gum cross-linked with sodium tripolyphosphate, and poloxamer-407. The prepared gels were evaluated for gelation temperature, gelation time, viscosity, piperine-loading efficiency, and piperine release. Finally, the optimized formula was evaluated for anti-inflammatory effectiveness among human patients during a 14-day follow-up. The optimized in situ gel formulation exhibited a gelation temperature of 35 ± 1 °C, gelling of 36 ± 1 s, excellent syringeability, and piperine loading of 95.3 ± 2.3%. This formulation efficiently sustained in vitro drug release for up to 72 h. In vivo studies revealed an efficient sol-to-gel transformation of optimized in situ gel formulation at physiological conditions, permitting an efficient residence time of the formulation within a periodontitis pocket. Most importantly, a clinical study revealed that treatment with the optimized formulation elicited a significant reduction in the mean plaque score (p = 0.001), gingival index (p = 0.003), and pocket depth (p = 0.002), and exerted a potent anti-inflammatory potential, compared to the control group. Collectively, piperine-loaded in situ gel might represent a viable therapeutic approach for the management of gingival and periodontal diseases.

Formulation and Development of Curcumin-Piperine-Loaded S-SNEDDS for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease

Curcumin (CUR) and piperine (PIP) are very well-known phytochemicals that claimed to have many health benefits and have been widely used in foods and traditional medicines. This study investigated the therapeutic efficacy of these compounds to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, poor oral bioavailability and permeability of curcumin are a major challenge for formulation scientists. In this research study, the researcher tried to enhance the bioavailability and permeability of curcumin by a nanotechnological approach. In this research study, we developed a CUR-PIP-loaded SNEDDS in various oils. Optimised formulation NF3 was subjected to evaluate its therapeutic effectiveness on AD animal model in comparison with untreated AD model and treated group (by market formulation donepezil). On the basis of characterisation results, it is confirmed that NF3 formulation is the best formulation. The optimised formulation shows a significant dose-dependent manner therapeutic effect on AD-induced model. Novel formulation CUR-PIP solid-SNEDDS was successfully developed and optimised. It is expected that the developed S-SNEDDS can be a potential, safe and effective carrier for the oral delivery of curcumin to the brain. To date, this article is the only study of CUR-PIP-loaded S-SNEDDS for the treatment of AD.

Secondary Metabolic Profile as a Tool for Distinction and Characterization of Cultivars of Black Pepper (Piper nigrum L.) Cultivated in Pará State, Brazil

This study evaluated the chemical compositions of the leaves and fruits of eight black pepper cultivars cultivated in Pará State (Amazon, Brazil). Hydrodistillation and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were employed to extract and analyze the volatile compounds, respectively. Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons were predominant (58.5-90.9%) in the cultivars "Cingapura", "Equador", "Guajarina", "Iaçará", and "Kottanadan", and "Bragantina", "Clonada", and "Uthirankota" displayed oxygenated sesquiterpenoids (50.6-75.0%). The multivariate statistical analysis applied using volatile composition grouped the samples into four groups: γ-Elemene, curzerene, and δ-elemene ("Equador"/"Guajarina", I); δ-elemene ("Iaçará"/"Kottanadan"/"Cingapura", II); elemol ("Clonada"/"Uthirankota", III) and α-muurolol, bicyclogermacrene, and cubebol ("Bragantina", IV). The major compounds in all fruit samples were monoterpene hydrocarbons such as α-pinene, β-pinene, and limonene. Among the cultivar leaves, phenolics content (44.75-140.53 mg GAE·g^-1 FW), the enzymatic activity of phenylalanine-ammonia lyase (20.19-57.22 µU·mL^-1), and carotenoids (0.21-2.31 µg·mL^-1) displayed significant variations. Due to black pepper's susceptibility to Fusarium infection, a molecular docking analysis was carried out on Fusarium protein targets using each cultivar's volatile components. F. oxysporum endoglucanase was identified as the preferential protein target of the compounds. These results can be used to identify chemical markers related to the susceptibility degree of black pepper cultivars to plant diseases prevalent in Pará State.

Natural based piperine derivatives as potent monoamine oxidase inhibitors: an in silico ADMET analysis and molecular docking studies

Neurodegenerative disorders follow numerous pathological ways concerning overexpression of monoamine oxidase and formation of reactive oxygen species. The computational design of the piperine derivatives has given the significant MAO inhibitors with considerable antioxidant potential. Molecular docking provided the mechanistic insight of the compounds within the hMAO active site. In the current study we have prepared a series of compounds related to piperine and investigated them through monoamine oxidase A and B assay and evaluated the free radical scavenging activity. The synthesized compounds were analyzed by using in silico techniques within the active site of MAO and the ADMET properties were also calculated. The results obtained in this study indicated the interesting therapeutic potential of some compounds such as 7and 17c as most promising hMAO-A inhibitors whereas compounds 15, 5 and 17b were found as hMAO-B inhibitors. Moreover, we assessed the antioxidant potential of the piperine analogues and compounds 5, 17b, and 7 showed very modest antioxidant activity against DPPH and H2O2 radicals. The outcome of the study indicating that the piperine related derivatives are found as considerable MAO inhibitors and antioxidants. Moreover, the SAR structure activity relationships are depicting the structural features required for the MAO inhibition. In case of MAO activity, good correlations were found among the calculated and experimental results.

Piper Species: A Comprehensive Review on Their Phytochemistry, Biological Activities and Applications

Piper species are aromatic plants used as spices in the kitchen, but their secondary metabolites have also shown biological effects on human health. These plants are rich in essential oils, which can be found in their fruits, seeds, leaves, branches, roots and stems. Some Piper species have simple chemical profiles, while others, such as Piper nigrum, Piper betle, and Piper auritum, contain very diverse suites of secondary metabolites. In traditional medicine, Piper species have been used worldwide to treat several diseases such as urological problems, skin, liver and stomach ailments, for wound healing, and as antipyretic and anti-inflammatory agents. In addition, Piper species could be used as natural antioxidants and antimicrobial agents in food preservation. The phytochemicals and essential oils of Piper species have shown strong antioxidant activity, in comparison with synthetic antioxidants, and demonstrated antibacterial and antifungal activities against human pathogens. Moreover, Piper species possess therapeutic and preventive potential against several chronic disorders. Among the functional properties of Piper plants/extracts/active components the antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, and neuropharmacological activities of the extracts and extract-derived bioactive constituents are thought to be key effects for the protection against chronic conditions, based on preclinical in vitro and in vivo studies, besides clinical studies. Habitats and cultivation of Piper species are also covered in this review. In this current work, available literature of chemical constituents of the essential oils Piper plants, their use in traditional medicine, their applications as a food preservative, their antiparasitic activities and other important biological activities are reviewed.