High density of bioactives in Piper sarmentosum plants.
IPB chemists have recently investigated the constituents of Piper sarmentosum Roxb. Chemical analysis of the leaves resulted in the extraction of three unknown and 31 known compounds, of which 21 substances were isolated for the first time from this plant. Structural elucidation of the three previously unknown constituents was performed by NMR and mass spectrometric methods. The search for potentially effective compounds against worms, fungi, bacteria and cancer cells in this pool of isolated substances proved to be a success. Thus, the Halle scientists were able to observe moderate anthelmintic and antifungal activities for some of the ingredients, as well as strong antibacterial effects for some others. However, cytotoxic effects were hardly detected for any of these individual compounds.
Piper sarmentosum Roxb. is widely distributed in the tropical regions of northeast India, southeast Asia, and parts of China. The plant is widely used in traditional medicine and also as a food flavoring. The root, leaves and fruits of these pepper species have been used regionally for decades as a remedy for colds, rheumatism, digestive problems, toothache, diabetes, worm infections and numerous other conditions. Pharmacological studies in recent years have shown that the crude extracts of P. sarmentosum exhibit a broad spectrum of antimicrobial, antidepressant, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and many other activities. However, there has been little examination of single compounds for their biological effects. This gap has now been partially closed by the Halle chemists.