Antibacterial, anthelmintic, and analgesic activities of Piper sylvaticum (Roxb.) leaves and in silico molecular docking and PASS prediction studies of its isolated compounds

Deciphering In Vitro and In Vivo Pharmacological Properties of Seed and Fruit Extracts of Flacourtia jangomas (Lour.) Raeusch

The objective of the study was to evaluate the pharmacological properties of the methanolic extract of Flacourtia jangomas (Lour.) Raeusch fruits (PFJM) and seeds (SFJM), along with their soluble fractions in ethyl acetate (fruit: PFJE; seed: SFJE) and chloroform (fruit: PFJC; seed: SFJC). Our phytochemical analysis of the examined extracts confirmed the presence of various therapeutically active phytoconstituents, including flavonoids, tannins, glycosides, and alkaloids. Employing the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical quenching method, SFJC exhibited the highest antioxidative potential, with an IC50 of 48.84, compared to ascorbic acid (IC50 21.77). The thrombolytic activity was assessed through rapid clot analysis of human blood samples, revealing that SFJC demonstrated the highest thrombolytic activity (60.99 ± 2.28%) compared to streptokinase (72.89 ± 2.19%). In the protein denaturation antiarthritic test, the PFJE and SFJC extracts exhibited significant potency, achieving results of 74.28 ± 1.16% and 79.25 ± 0.83%, respectively, at a dose of 500 μg/mL. All samples displayed notable anthelmintic activity by reducing Pheretima posthuma paralysis and death time in a dose-dependent manner compared to albendazole. In both in vivo analgesic tests, SFJC demonstrated substantial (p < 0.01) pain inhibition percentages (tail immersion: 49.46%; acetic acid writhing: 66.43%) at a dose of 600 mg/kg. During neuropharmacological screening, all extracts significantly (p < 0.01;  p < 0.05) and dose-dependently decreased the mice's locomotion activity and motor balance. In the thiopental-induced sedation assay, SFJC significantly decreased the sleep latency time (4.18 ± 0.24 min) and increased the duration of sleep time (85.20 ± 2.39 min) at a higher dose. All samples notably reduced blood glucose levels in the oral glucose tolerance test in a dose-responsive manner, and SFJC exhibited a considerable hypoglycemic impact (7.38 ± 0.44 mmoles/L at 600 mg/kg). The frequency of diarrheal episodes in mice during the antidiarrhea assessment was significantly decreased by the tested plant samples. These findings can serve as a reference for future endeavors to isolate pure bioactive compounds from this plant for the development of novel phytomedicines.

Comprehensive review of the phytochemistry, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and toxicology of alkamides (2016-2022)

Alkamides refer to a class of natural active small-molecule products composed of fatty acids and amine groups. These compounds are widely distributed in plants, and their unique structures and various pharmacological activities have caught the attention of scholars. This review provides a collection of literatures related to the phytochemistry, pharmacological effects, pharmacokinetics, and toxicity of alkamides published in 2016-2022 and their summary to provide references for further development of this class of ingredients. A total of 234 components (including chiral isomers) were summarized, pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antidiabetic, analgesic, neuroprotective, insecticidal, antioxidant, and antibacterial, and miscellaneous properties of alkamides were discussed. In addition, the pharmacokinetic characteristics and toxicity of alkamides were reviewed. However, information on the pharmacological mechanisms of the action, drug safety, and pharmacokinetics of alkamides is limited and thus requires further investigation and evaluation.

Antibacterial and immunological properties of piperine evidenced by preclinical studies: a systematic review

Aim: To review in vitro, in vivo, and in silico studies examining the antibacterial and immunomodulatory properties of piperine (PPN). Methods: This systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines, and five databases were searched. Results: A total of 40 articles were included in this study. Six aspects of PPN activity were identified, including antibacterial spectrum, association with antibiotics, efflux pump inhibition, biofilm effects, protein target binding, and modulation of immune functions/virulence factors. Most studies focused on Mycobacterium spp. and Staphylococcus aureus. Cell lineages and in vivo models were employed to study PPN antibacterial effects. Conclusion: We highlight PPN as a potential adjuvant in the treatment of bacterial infections. PPN possesses several antibacterial properties that need further exploration to determine the mechanisms behind its pharmacological activity.

Chemical Constituents and Biological Activities of Piper as Anticancer Agents: A Review

Cancer has become the primary cause of death worldwide, and anticancer drugs are used to combat this disease. Synthesis of anticancer drugs has limited success due to adverse side effects has made compounds from natural products with minimal toxicity gain much popularity. Piper species are known to have a biological effect on human health. The biological activity is due to Piper species rich with active secondary metabolites that can combat most diseases, including cancer. This review will discuss the phytochemistry of Piper species and their anticancer activity. The identification and characterization of ten active metabolites isolated from Piper species were discussed in detail and their anticancer mechanism. These metabolites were mainly found could inhibit anticancer through caspase and P38/JNK pathways. The findings discussed in this review support the therapeutic potential of Piper species against cancer due to their rich source of active metabolites with demonstrated anticancer activity.

Scrutinizing pharmacological efficiency for Acacia auriculiformis by experimental and computational approach

Background

The study sought to investigate the biological efficacy of methanol leave extract of Acacia auriculiformis (MEAA) via in vitro, in vivo, in silico approaches. The in vitro cytotoxicity was evaluated through brine shrimp lethality assay, and anti-inflammatory activity was determined by membrane stabilisation and protein denaturation methods (BSA and egg albumin). The in vivo antipyretic activity was examined via Brewer’s yeast induced pyrexia model.

Results

A. auriculiformis extract unveiled moderate cytotoxicity with significant anti-inflammatory efficacy (p < 0.001) compared to standard drug. This extract also exhibited dose-dependent time of paralysis and death for the worm (p < 0.001) in the anthelmintic test which was directly proportional to employed concentrations. A notable percentage of clot lysis effect (36.42 ± 1.95%, p < 0.001) was also observed for MEAA in human blood compared to control. However, this extract significantly (p < 0.05) reduced fever in a dose-dependent manner during the antipyretic experiment. Besides, in computer-aided investigations, two compounds (2,4-ditert-butylphenol and 3-hydroxy-β-damascone) revealed the best binding interaction with six proteins for cytotoxicity, inflammation, helminthic, thrombolytic and pyretic effect. Moreover, these two compounds satisfy Lipinski’s ‘Rule of Five’ and revealed drug-likeness profiles in the toxicological study.

Conclusions

These findings disclosed that methanol leaves extract of A. auriculiformis might be a potent source for anti-inflammatory, anti-helminthic, thrombolytic and antipyretic agents.

Membrane stabilization as a mechanism of the anti-inflammatory activity of ethanolic root extract of Choi (Piper chaba)

Background

This experiment is conducted to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of Piper chaba roots.

Methods

The in-vitro anti-inflammatory activity of Piper chaba was carried out by human red blood cell (HRBC) membrane stabilization method which includes heat-induced hemolysis and hypo tonicity- induced hemolysis and also by another method of egg albumin denaturation assay.

Results

Anti-inflammatory activity study of crude ethanolic extract was performed using heat induced membrane stabilization method, hypo-tonicity induced HRBC membrane stabilization method and egg albumin denaturation method. Crude ethanolic extracts of P. chaba showed promising in vitro anti-inflammatory activity in a concentration dependent manner. Using acetyl salicylic acid (ASA) as standard drug and was compared with ethanolic extract to determine anti-inflammatory activity. Heat induced anti-inflammatory test revealed that crude ethanolic extract of P. chaba (500 μg/ml) and positive control ASA(500 μg/ml) have 52.667% and 78% respectively, hypo tonicity induced anti-inflammatory test showed 35.67% and 59% inhibition of red blood cell (RBC) hemolysis. Egg albumin denaturation method also evaluated that crude ethanolic extract (1000 μg/ml) and ASA (1000 μg/ml) showed 60% and 97.12% inhibition of egg albumin denaturation.

Conclusion

The plant of P. chaba of the genus Piper possesses promising anti-inflammatory activities.

Comparative Study of Piper sylvaticum Roxb. Leaves and Stems for Anxiolytic and Antioxidant Properties Through in vivo, in vitro, and in silico Approaches

Piper sylvaticum Roxb. is traditionally used by the indigenous people of tropical and subtropical countries like Bangladesh, India, and China for relieving the common cold or a variety of chronic diseases, such as asthma, chronic coughing, piles, rheumatic pain, headaches, wounds, tuberculosis, indigestion, and dyspepsia. This study tested anxiolytic and antioxidant activities by in vivo, in vitro, and in silico experiments for the metabolites extracted (methanol) from the leaves and stems of P. sylvaticum (MEPSL and MEPSS). During the anxiolytic evaluation analyzed by elevated plus maze and hole board tests, MEPSL and MEPSS (200 and 400 mg/kg, body weight) exhibited a significant and dose-dependent reduction of anxiety-like behavior in mice. Similarly, mice treated with MEPSL and MEPSS demonstrated dose-dependent increases in locomotion and CNS simulative effects in open field test. In addition, both extracts (MEPSL and MEPSS) also showed moderate antioxidant activities in DPPH scavenging and ferric reducing power assays compared to the standard, ascorbic acid. In parallel, previously isolated bioactive compounds from this plant were documented and subjected to a molecular docking study to correlate them with the pharmacological outcomes. The selected four major phytocompounds displayed favorable binding affinities to potassium channel and xanthine oxidoreductase enzyme targets in molecular docking experiments. Overall, P. sylvaticum is bioactive, as is evident through experimental and computational analysis. Further experiments are necessary to evaluate purified novel compounds for the clinical evaluation.