Ethnopharmacological Properties of Some Threatened Medicinal Plants
Jayanta Kumar Patra, Gitishree Das, Sanjeet Kumar, Hrudayanath Thatoi in Ethnopharmacology and Biodiversity of Medicinal Plants, 2019
The plant parts such as roots, leaves, stem, flowers, tubers, fruits, bark, gum or resinous extract are used against different diseases and disorders. When the seeds of Celastrus paniculatus were macerated, and oil was obtained. The oil is used to enhance the memory of abnormal children (Kulkarni et al., 2011). The juice of resin of Gardenia gummifera was used to kill the intestinal worm (Nayak et al., 2011). It was also observed that tuber paste of Gloriosa superba was applied externally to reduce the joint pain among the old age people of tribal communities of Kendujhar (Akhtar, Haqqi, 2012). The tuber juice of this plant is taken for abortion. The bark decoction of Oroxylum indicum is used to treat throat infections (Payne et al., 2013). It was noted that fruits juice of Piper longum is used to cure cough and asthma (Okwu, Nnamdi, 2011). The leaf juice of Pterocarpus marsupium was taken to control diabetes (Liu et al., 2005) and tuber paste of Pueraria tuberosa was used as an emollient paste (Aburjai, Natsheh, 2003). The root paste of Rauvolfia serpentine is used against snake bites (Gomes et al., 2010) and leaves and fruits paste of Scindapsus officinalis is applied to reduce inflammation (Nijveldt et al., 2001).
Chemopreventive Agents
David E. Thurston, Ilona Pysz in Chemistry and Pharmacology of Anticancer Drugs, 2021
Piperine (Figure 12.24A) is a piperidine alkaloid found in the roots and fruits of the black pepper plant Piper nigrum (Figure 12.24B), and the related Piper longum, the source of both black and white pepper grains. It was discovered by Hans Christian Ørsted in 1819 when he extracted the alkaloid from Piper nigrum, and is considered to be one of the most important dietary alkaloids. Crystallizing as pale-yellow monoclinic needles, it is readily extracted from black peppers using dichloromethane, and can represent up to 10% of the weight of the dried plant material. Piperine is responsible for the pungency of black pepper and long pepper, has a pepper-like taste, and has been used in several forms of traditional medicine. In particular, it has been reported to have potential chemopreventive effects against the carcinogens benzo(a)pyrene and 7,12-dimethyl benz(a)anthracene found in overcooked red meat. A. Structure of the alkaloid piperine extracted from Piper nigrum; B. The black pepper plant, Piper nigrum (Image from Wikipedia, “Black Pepper (Piper nigrum) fruits” by K Hari Krishnan, shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en)).
Piper longum (Long Pepper or Pipli) and Tinospora cordifolia (Giloy or Heart-Leaved Moonseed)
Azamal Husen in Herbs, Shrubs, and Trees of Potential Medicinal Benefits, 2022
Piper longum, or long pepper, is mostly used in traditional medicine for treatment of many diseases. It is known as “pipali” in Sanskrit. According to Ayurvedic medicine, it has properties as follows: rasa-katu, i.e., pungent; veerya-Anushnashita, i.e., slightly cold; vipaka-Madhur, i.e., sweet; guna-snigdha, i.e., unctuous; Laghu, i.e., light; tikshna, i.e., sharp; and dosha, i.e., calms vata and kapha (Zaveri et al., 2010).
Piperlongumine Induces Apoptosis in Human Melanoma Cells Via Reactive Oxygen Species Mediated Mitochondria Disruption
Published in Nutrition and Cancer, 2018
Xuejiao Song, Tiantao Gao, Qian Lei, Lidan Zhang, Yuqin Yao, Jingyuan Xiong
Melanoma is highly malignant with considerable metastatic potential and drug resistance, and the incidence is increasing rapidly (26). Since metastatic melanoma is one of the deadliest skin cancers, identifying new applications of existing pharmaceuticals and natural products for melanoma might be a cost-effective therapeutic strategy. Piper longum, known as long pepper, is a traditional Chinese medicine with anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. Being an active ingredient of the medicinal long pepper, piperlongumine is widely studied under a variety of pathological conditions (12–13). The pharmacokinetic evaluations of piperlongumine have been carried out and the safety profiles were documented, which laid the foundations for exploring novel applications of piperlongumine (27). Recent studies reported promising effects of piperlongumine on various types of cancer, while the anti-tumor capacity of piperlongumine on melanoma and the mechanisms of action need further researches.
Development of piperine nanoemulsions: an alternative topical application for hypopigmentation
Published in Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy, 2022
Burcu Ozkan, Ebru Altuntas, Rabia Cakir Koc, Yasemin Budama-Kilinc
Piper longum L. (long pepper) and Piper nigrum L. (black pepper) (Piperaceae) are traditionally used in Indian medicine and are among the most widely used spices in the world. Piperine is an alkaloid derived from its oleoresin in black pepper, giving the bitter taste of P. longum L. and P. nigrum L. [13]. Recently, piperine has been found to be effective in the pigmentation mechanism as well as other biological activities [14]. A group of scientists from King's College London showed that basic alkaloid piperine and its synthetic derivatives stimulate skin pigmentation and are effective in restoring skin pigmentation [10]. In a study conducted by Soumyanath et al., piperine has been demonstrated to increase melanocyte proliferation in vitro, and act through protein kinase C stimulation [15]. In another study, it was observed that the aqueous extract of piperine (0.1 mg/ml) stimulated the growth of mouse melanocyte line culture by approximately 300% within 8 days [16]. In this content, piperine can be considered as a potential active ingredient with its biological activities on melanogenesis, providing the re-occurrence of pigmentation and these findings may lead to better outcomes in the development of potential treatments. It can also reduce the risk of skin cancer by reducing the need for UV radiation in the treatment of vitiligo.
The Natural Alkaloid Piperlongumine Inhibits Metastatic Activity and Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition of Triple-Negative Mammary Carcinoma Cells
Published in Nutrition and Cancer, 2021
Leanne M. Delaney, Nathan Farias, Javad Ghassemi Rad, Wasundara Fernando, Henry Annan, David W. Hoskin
The pungent fruits of the long pepper plant (Piper longum) are widely consumed as a spice, as well as being used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of ailments (8). Long pepper plant fruits contain piperlongumine, a bioactive alkaloid that selectively kills breast cancer cells and other cancer cell types (9–12). The cytotoxic activity of piperlongumine has been attributed to oxidative stress caused by increased levels of hydrogen peroxide in piperlongumine-treated cancer cells (13). Cancer cells typically have a greater reactive oxygen species (ROS) burden and are therefore more sensitive than normal cells to oxidative stress (14). Piperlongumine also inhibits the JAK2-STAT3 (15), nuclear factor (NF) κB (16), and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling pathways (17), reduces overall nuclear traffic (18), and activates pro-apoptotic C/EBP homologous protein (9), mitogen-activated protein kinase p38 and phospho-c-Jun N-terminal kinase (11). However, the effect of noncytotoxic low dose piperlongumine on metastasis-associated molecules and activities of TNBC cells has not been fully investigated.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Ayurveda
- Black Pepper
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- Piperlonguminine