Antioxidant activity and Phytochemical Evaluation of Piper species (Cubeba and Nigrum)

Many plant derived molecule have shown a promising effect in therapeutics (Lokhande et al., 2007). Spices and herbs are recognized as sources of natural antioxidants and thus play an important role in the chemoprevention of diseases and aging. Among the plants investigated to date, one showing enormous potential is the pepper family otherwise known as Piperaceae (Dodson et al., 2000). Piper nigrum and Piper cubeba are the two flowering vine in the family Piperaceae. Piper nigrum (black pepper) it is a monocious or decorous climbing vine native to southern India and Srilanka and is extensively cultivated there and elsewhere in tropical regions. The shout climbing stem are very flexible with leathery blackish green leaves, they are widely cultivated in tropics. They have several uses such as they help in pain relief, rheumatism, chills, flu, colds, muscular aches and fever. Externally it is used for its rubefacient and as a local application for relaxed sore, throat and some skin disorder. It has antimicrobial (Dorman and Deans, 2000), antimutagenic (El-Hamss et al., 2003), antioxidant and radical scavenging property (Gulcin, 2005) and inhalation of black pepper oil increase the reflexive swallowing movement cultivated for its fruit and essential oil. It is mostly grown in Java and Sumatra, hence sometimes called Java pepper. This is a perennial plant, with a climbing stem, round branches, about as thick as a goose-quill, ash-colored and rooting at the joints. The leaves are from four to six and a half inches long by one and a half to two inches broad, ovate-oblong, acuminate and very smooth. Flowers arranged in spikes at the end of the branches; fruit, a berry rather longer than that of black pepper. It is used to treat gonorrhea, dysentery, syphilis, abdominal pain and asthma (Eisai, 1995) and has also inhibitory effect on hepatitis C virus protease. Choi and Hwang (2003) demonstrated anti inflammatory and analgesic activity of methanol extract from the fruit of Piper cubeba it accumulates lignans and essential oil in a relatively highamount.

The alkaloids, of which some 5,500 are known, comprise the largest single class of secondary plant substance. Alkaloids are often toxic to man and many have dramatic physiological activities; hence their wide use in medicine. They are usually colorless, often optically active substances, most are crystalline but a few (e.g. nicotine) are liquids at room temperature. Piperine is an alkaloid found naturally in plants belonging to the pyridine group of Piperaceae family, such as Piper nigrum and Piper longum. Piperine is the Trans stereoisomer of 1-piperoylpiperidine. It is also known as (E, E)-1- piperoylpiperidine and (E, E)-1- [5-(1, 3- benzodioxol-5-yl)-1-oxo-2, 4-pentdienyl] piperidine. Piperine is the alkaloid responsible for the pungency of black pepper and long pepper, along with chavicine (an isomer of piperine). It has also been used in some forms of traditional medicine and as an insecticide.