Chemical Composition and Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitory Activity of Essential Oils from Piper Species

Abstract

The essential oils (EOs) derived from aromatic plants such as Piper species are considered to play a role in alleviating neuronal ailments that are associated with inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). The chemical compositions of 23 EOs prepared from 16 Piper spp. were analyzed by both gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of 76 compounds were identified in the EOs from the leaves and stems of 19 samples, while 30 compounds were detected in the EOs from the fruits of four samples. Sesquiterpenes and phenylpropanoids were found to be rich in these EOs, of which asaricin, caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, isospathulenol, (+)-spathulenol, and β-bisabolene are the major constituents. The EOs from the leaves and stems of Piper austrosinense, P. puberulum, P. flaviflorum, P. betle, and P. hispidimervium showed strong AChE inhibitory activity with IC values in the range of 1.51 to 13.9 mg/mL. A thin-layer chromatography (TLC) bioautography assay was employed to identify active compound(s) in the most active EO from P. hispidimervium. The active compound was isolated and identified as asaricin, which gave an IC value of 0.44 ± 0.02 mg/mL against AChE, comparable to galantamine with an IC 0.15 ± 0.01 mg/mL.

Promising in vitro antioxidant, anti‐acetylcholinesterase and neuroactive effects of essential oil from two non‐psychotropic Cannabis sativa L. biotypes

“…The gold standard treatment is represented by acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, some of which derived by natural sources such as galanthamine. From this point of view, the EOs can play a key role for neuropsysicological disorders, because they are rich in volatile and lipophilic substances that can easily cross the blood–brain barrier (Xiang et al, ). In the present study, the role of two Cannabis biotype EOs (12.5–100 μg/ml) were evaluated by AChE inhibition assay.…”

“…Galanthamine, the reference drug, was used as a positive control (range 12.5–100 μg/ml). AChE activity was evaluated by measuring the absorbance at 412 nm, using an UV–Vis spectrophotometer (Shimadzu UV‐1601), and the inhibition percentage was calculated according to the following equation: where Abg, Abcg, Atg and Atcg are the absorbance of the blank group, blank control group, test group and test control group, respectively, as reported in Xiang et al ().…”

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

“…According to Mgbeahuruioke et al [33] there are more that 270 identified compounds in Piper EOs. In the review by Xiang et al [34] the authors state that more than 80 compounds were identified in Chinese Piper spp., and that these compounds belonged mainly to the mono- and sesquiterpene hydrocarbon classes, followed by aldehydes, alcohols, acids, ketones, esters, and phenols. Some species have a simple profile, while others, such as P. nigrum, P. betle, P. auritum , contain very diverse suites of secondary metabolites.…”

Essential Oils from Neotropical Piper Species and Their Biological Activities

“…In contrast, EOs from the aerial parts of P. callosum and P. marginatum were mainly composed of phenylpropanoids, such as safrole and 3,4-methylenedioxypropiophenone (propiopiperone) [ 62 ]. Although there are limited data on AChE activity of Piper essential oils from the Neotropics, a significant amount of research has been performed on Old World Piper essential oils [ 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 ].…”